District News

At its Budget Retreat on March 15, 2025, the Somerset Hills School District approved Mr. Richard D. Liguori as Business Administrator/Board Secretary.

Bringing extensive experience from the industries of finance and accounting, Liguori has worked for companies ranging from private family-owned to Fortune 500. Throughout his career, his roles have increased in scope and responsibilities. In a recent position at Dow Jones & Company, he partnered with constituents who contributed to revenue and expenses, to create a comprehensive income statement. From that work, he valued learning about “the why behind the what” and thus became a storyteller to express the rationale behind the numbers. Working for both Johnson & Johnson and Cadbury, a large part of his roles were in supporting numerous facets of operations, where in addition to financial aspects, his clear and consistent communication enhanced the overall large-scale operations.

In his role of Business Administrator, Liguori will be responsible for the administration of all phases of the tentative budget that was just adopted for the 2025-2026 school year and will assist the Superintendent with the preparation of the 2026-2027 budget when the next cycle begins. He will oversee the annual audit and work to prepare the comprehensive annual financial audit report. Developing and implementing a multi-year maintenance plan will be another part of his job. Liguori will safeguard and track the district’s fixed assets and serve as the official purchasing agent. In his role as Board Secretary, he will notify the Board and public of upcoming meetings, record the proceedings, prepare the minutes, and will handle all OPRA requests. Liguori will oversee his Business Office team, as well as Facilities, Transportation, and Technology, and their respective directors.

In addition to working on finalizing the FY26 budget, and beginning work on the FY27 budget, Liguori will assist with the development of a long-range facility plan as SHSD supports the design of K-12 learning spaces to reflect best practices and support the careers and higher education opportunities that will present themselves to graduates of Bernards High School.

“I hold myself to the highest ethical standards. My organization and communication skills are assets that will enhance the day-to-day workings of the Business Office and its multitude of projects with many moving parts,” shared Liguori. “Additionally, I come from a family of educators that include my parents, sister, wife, and son, so I am both proud and excited to join the Somerset Hills School District.”

Liguori is an active member of his hometown community in a variety of ways, including serving his 6th term, and 17th year on the North Brunswick Township Board of Education. He is a former President and Vice President and has been part of the Business Operations Committee for most of his tenure on the Board.

Liguori earned his BS  from Rutgers University and his MBA from Rider University. 

Liguori has an anticipated start date of April 1, 2025 and will replace Jinnee DeMarco who left the district in December and whose role was filled by Interim Business Administrators Beverly Vlietstra and Debe Besold since that time.

“I am eager to welcome Rich to the Somerset Hills School District. His deep understanding, experience, and skills in budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting are sharp.  In addition to his clear qualifications in finance and his business acumen, throughout our thoughtful and extensive search, I have found him to be impressive and committed to public education and serving communities,” said Dr. Brian Brotschul. “I am confident that he will be an asset to the team.”