Jeff Cicerchi has taken the helm of the North Royalton City School District as the new School Superintendent.  He previously served the district as Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction. Erin Calabrese is replacing Cicerchi in that role.
Cicerchi is replacing Mike Laub upon his retirement.   Laub has been serving as the North Royalton City School District Superintendent since July 1, 2021.  Cicerchi’s contract runs from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2029.  The North Royalton Board of Education appointed Cicerchi at their December 17 School Board Meeting.  According to his contract, he will earn $160,000 starting in August, with a total compensation package of more than $209,000.  He will then receive a raise of 2.5 percent in 2027 and an additional 2.5 percent in 2028.
According to district officials, Cicerchi served as the Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction, a position he has held since 2022. “He is well known to the community through his extensive leadership experience at North Royalton Middle School, where he served as principal from 2014 to 2022. Prior to becoming principal, Cicerchi was the school’s assistant principal from 2010 to 2014 and completed a one-year administrative internship during the 2009–2010 school year.  Cicerchi served as a sixth-grade teacher at North Royalton Middle School, where he taught English language arts, social studies, and reading from 2006 to 2009 and also coached baseball. He began his teaching career as a sixth-grade social studies and English language arts teacher at Riverside Local Schools in Painesville before joining North Royalton City Schools.”
Cicerchi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Middle Childhood Education from Baldwin Wallace University and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from Ursuline College.  He lives in North Royalton, along with his wife, Steffani and children.  Steffani Cicerchi was hired last spring as the district’s Director of Pupil Services.
At the July 16 North Royalton Board of Education meeting, the Board adopted the following resolution:   The board “acknowledges that the Superintendent’s spouse is employed by the district as a central office Administrator; and the Board of Education and Mr. Cicerchi desire to ensure compliance with the Ohio Ethics Law, including but not limited to Revised Code Chapters 102 and 2921 as it pertains to the Superintendent and his spouse both being employed by the board. The Board directed the Superintendent to request a formal opinion from the Ohio Ethics Commission regarding application of the Ohio Ethics Law to the Superintendent’s role while his spouse is employed by the district as a central office administrator; and the Ohio Ethics Commission issue a formal advisory opinion establishing parameters and conditions under which the Superintendent may serve while his spouse is employed by the district;. The Board finds it necessary and appropriate to incorporate the requirements and limitations set forth in Exhibit A into the Superintendent’s employment contract via this Resolution to ensure full compliance with Ohio law.”
The resolution, effective August 1, continues as follows:
“1. The Superintendent shall not participate in, deliberate on, recommend, influence, or take any action, directly or indirectly, to secure any job-related benefits for his spouse, including but not limited to matters involving hiring, evaluation, discipline, compensation, promotion, transfer, contract renewal or nonrenewal, or termination.
2. The Superintendent shall fully and completely recuse himself from any and all matters involving his spouse’s individual employment. Such recusal shall include abstaining from discussions, decisions, recommendations, and access to information related to such matters.
3. The Superintendent’s spouse shall be assigned as a direct report to an individual who is not subordinate to the Superintendent and reports directly to the Board. Pursuant to Revised Code section 3319.03, a board-appointed Business Manager, Mr. Patrick Farrell, is directly responsible to the board, not the Superintendent. As such, the Superintendent’s spouse shall report directly to Mr. Farrell, who shall serve as her immediate supervisor and designated evaluator.
4. The Superintendent may participate in discussions, deliberations, and recommendations affecting a class of employees of which his spouse is a member, like Administrators, provided that such actions do not uniquely or disproportionately impact his spouse.
5. The board directs the Treasurer and the Business Manager to advise the Board if any provisions of this Resolution or the Superintendent’s employment arrangement require modification.
6. All provisions of this resolution, together with the requirements set forth in Exhibit A, shall be incorporated into and made a binding part of the Superintendent’s employment contract.
Violation of these provisions may constitute grounds for disciplinary action.”

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer