Longtime Linden educator named new schools superintendent

Cheryl Makin, MyCentralJersey.com
·1 min read

LINDEN – A longtime city educator has been appointed as the new superintendent of schools.

Atiya Perkins, currently the district’s assistant superintendent for support, will begin in her new role on July 1 with a three-year contract.

Perkins will succeed Interim Superintendent Rocco Tomazic, who joined the district in October to replace Marnie Hazelton, with whom the district settled out of a five-year contract.

"We are most delighted to have Atiya Perkins take over the leadership of the district," said Linden Board of Education President Marlene Berghammer. "We are confident in her ability to move us forward through our challenges in a way that will build on our past success."

Atiya Perkins in Linden's new superintendent of schools.
Atiya Perkins in Linden's new superintendent of schools.

Perkins began in the district as an elementary teacher at School No. 1 in 2002, was appointed vice principal at School No. 1 in 2007, and then transferred to become vice principal at School No. 4.

She served as principal of School No. 6 for six years before becoming principal of School No. 2 for three years and then principal of McManus Middle School in 2019.

Also see: Without cap, school superintendent salaries soaring. See the 14 highest paid in NJ

Raised in the city, Perkins attended Linden Public Schools and graduated from Seton Hall University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education with dual certification in Psychology. She holds a Master of Arts degree from Seton Hall in Educational Leadership and is currently enrolled in an educational doctoral program with Northcentral University.

Married to a U.S. Navy veteran, Perkins and her husband have three children and five grandchildren.

email: cmakin@gannettnj.com

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Linden NJ educator named new schools superintendent