The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education unanimously approved a new three-year employment contract for Superintendent Dr. Rosetta Treece last week, extending her leadership of the district through June 30, 2029.
The board’s action comes as today — Monday, July 27 — marks the deadline for residents seeking a seat on the Board of Education in the November election.
Nominating petitions must be filed with the Mercer County Clerk by 4 p.m. Four Hopewell Township seats will appear on the ballot: three full three-year terms and one two-year term to complete the remainder of an unexpired seat. Petitions may be picked up from the district but must be filed with the county clerk’s office.
Three-year contract approved
Treece’s new contract takes effect retroactively to July 1 and runs through June 30, 2029. It had already received approval from the Mercer County Executive County Superintendent, as required by state regulations, before Monday night’s board vote.
The agreement sets Treece’s annual salary at $243,000 for the 2026-27 school year, with 3.4% annual increases in each of the following two years. Her salary will rise to $251,262 in 2027-28 and $259,805 in 2028-29.
During the personnel committee report, board member Mark Peters highlighted the superintendent’s contract before the vote.
“We have our contract for our superintendent, which we’re very excited to get passed and continue on our journey with her,” Peters said.
The board approved the contract unanimously.
Filing deadline for board candidates
Before moving into the consent agenda, board members reminded residents that Monday is the final opportunity to file for November’s election.
Board members clarified that petitions may be picked up through the district but must be delivered to the Mercer County Clerk before the 4 p.m. deadline. They also reminded residents that the board continues to seek applicants to fill the remainder of former board member Hope Cotter’s unexpired term through the end of the year.
Interested residents can review candidate qualifications through the district’s published election information.
Referendum projects move into planning
In a brief superintendent’s report, Treece said planning for the district’s voter-approved referendum projects continues to advance.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to attend some of the meetings in preparation of the builds that we’re doing for the referendum,” Treece said. “We are out making the plans. The plans are drawn and we’re just fine tuning at this point. So that’s a very exciting step for the district.”
She said planning meetings have already taken place for Bear Tavern Elementary School and Toll Gate Grammar School, while also noting that the district’s Extended School Year and kindergarten camp programs are underway.
Graduation policies adopted
The board also unanimously adopted updated graduation policies on second reading, completing a review that began last month. The revisions align district policies with recent changes to New Jersey graduation regulations while preserving several Hopewell Valley-specific graduation requirements.
During the board’s June first reading, Policy Committee Chair Dr. Pamela Lilleston said most of the revisions reflected updates required by the state rather than changes to district practice. Among the changes, the policy incorporates provisions for individualized learning opportunities, such as internships and service learning, updates requirements related to the federal financial aid application process and the State Seal of Biliteracy, and clarifies diploma requirements under current state regulations.
The revised policy also retains several local graduation requirements that exceed the state’s minimum standards, including Hopewell Valley’s requirement that students earn 10 credits in world languages rather than the state’s five-credit minimum. It also continues the district’s service learning and intercultural competency graduation requirement, which takes effect beginning with the Class of 2030.
