Kevin Cullen Named Middletown Township Schools Superintendent Through 2031
The school board approved a contract through June 2031 as the district confronts aging facilities, financial pressures and unresolved questions about its future.
The Middletown Township Board of Education appointed Kevin G. Cullen as superintendent Tuesday night, giving the district a permanent leader as it confronts costly building repairs, financial constraints and unresolved questions about its future school configuration.
Seven board members voted to appoint Cullen on October 27, 2026. Board member Jacqueline Tobacco said she was conflicted and unable to vote, noting that she had not participated in the search process. She nevertheless expressed strong support for Cullen’s appointment. His contract begins October 28 and runs through June 30, 2031.1
The appointment follows a period marked by the board’s earlier school-closure vote and former Superintendent Jessica Alfone’s retirement. Later in Tuesday’s meeting, board members discussed some of the challenges Cullen will inherit: aging heating and air-conditioning systems, a possible future referendum and persistent odor and air-quality concerns at Thorne Middle School.
Cullen moves from interim to permanent superintendent
Cullen’s employment contract received formal written approval from the interim executive county superintendent on October 20. It covers October 28, 2026, through June 30, 2031.
Before the vote, board members praised Cullen as accessible, collaborative and deeply familiar with the district. One student representative recalled having Cullen as her middle school principal, while a community member later congratulated him during public comment.
A 2000 graduate of Middletown High School South, Cullen has spent his career in the district. He taught social studies, served as an advisor and coached varsity boys basketball, earning Asbury Park Press Coach of the Year honors in 2008 and 2010. His previous positions included assistant principal at Bayshore Middle School, principal at Navesink Elementary School and Middletown High School North, and assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and special education.
The district named Cullen acting superintendent on April 28, ahead of Alfone’s retirement. He subsequently served as interim superintendent while the board conducted its search.
‘We are students first’
After the vote, Cullen thanked the board and spoke about Middletown’s personal significance to him as a district graduate, employee and parent of three students attending its schools. He told the community he was “all in” and emphasized collaboration across the district.
Our decisions must always be guided by one fundamental principle: We are students first.” “Together we will reinforce our foundation and create an even brighter future for every student.”
The board’s subsequent discussions illustrated the decisions awaiting the new administration, particularly those involving building conditions and limited resources.
Facilities and finances will test the new administration
During her Facilities Committee report, board member Joan Minnuies said she believes the district will need to ask voters to approve a referendum within the next few years. Such a referendum would seek voter authorization to fund major capital projects beyond the district’s regular budget.
Minnuies highlighted elementary-school heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems that committee members said are more than 20 years old and increasingly difficult and expensive to repair. She said closing two schools would not have generated enough savings to replace those systems and warned that the district could face a major problem within a year or two if it does not establish priorities.
Her remarks reflected her assessment, not a board decision to place a referendum on the ballot. No referendum proposal, project list or financing package was adopted Tuesday.
The discussion followed months of conflict over Middletown’s long-range facilities planning and proposed school closures, as well as the district’s legal fight over the closure decision. Facilities Committee members said they currently favored addressing needs at all schools that remain in operation rather than waiting for another closure decision. That discussion did not constitute formal board action.
Committee members also called for greater attention to playgrounds, blacktops and maintenance staffing.
Odor and air-quality concerns remain unresolved at Thorne
District business administrator Amy Doherty addressed continuing complaints about an odor near the gym and locker-room area at Thorne Middle School. She said testing in 2023 and 2024 did not establish a connection between the odor and mold. Following an increase in complaints, the district brought in a licensed industrial hygienist for expanded testing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Doherty said the results did not identify anything she characterized as significantly outside expected levels.
The source of the odor remains unidentified. Doherty said a review found mildew on an unused shower wall, potentially dry drain traps, wet material in a storage room and a roof-drain problem that could be contributing to water intrusion. She did not identify any single condition as the cause.
The district has removed wet carpeting and arranged roof-drain work. It also plans to address the mildew and establish recurring maintenance checks. Doherty said monitoring and troubleshooting would continue because the odor persists.
Board member Sara Weinstein described experiencing throat and ear irritation shortly after entering the gym and said she has a mold and mildew allergy. Her account was a personal observation, not a medical finding or evidence that mold caused the reaction. She urged the administration to continue investigating while complaints persist, regardless of the testing results.
What happens next
Cullen’s permanent appointment begins October 28. The board will hold a committee-of-the-whole meeting on November 10 at 7 p.m. to discuss a draft request for proposals covering enrollment projections, demographics, staffing and facility capacity. Officials said the session will be advertised as a board meeting because the full board will participate.
Potential subjects for a future consultant’s analysis include staffing within current school boundaries, section consolidation, restructuring, grade reconfiguration and redistricting. These are subjects under consideration, not adopted changes. The board did not award a study Tuesday.
Officials said the draft request for proposals is separate from a possible update to the district’s master facilities assessment, which would require another proposal for architectural and engineering services. The scope, cost and timing of both efforts have yet to be determined as Cullen begins his permanent appointment.
Notes
- Final vote tally on Cullen’s appointment: Voted in favor: Chris Aveta, Joan Minnuies, Caterina Skalaski, Mark Soporowski, Erin Torres, Sara Weinstein and Deborah Wright. Did not vote: Jacqueline Tobacco. Absent: Frank Capone.