Superintendent

About Dr. Turnamian

  • Dr. Peter Turnamian began his tenure as Superintendent of Schools for Washington Township Schools in October 2021.  He previously served as the Superintendent of Schools for the Rockaway Township School District.  He comes to his role with over twenty-five years of experience in education.   After graduating from the University of Rochester, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in English, Dr. Turnamian joined Teach for America and relocated to the southwest.   He began his career as a middle school language arts teacher in Phoenix, AZ.  Over the course of his career, Dr. Turnamian earned a Master’s in Teaching and Learning from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and his Doctorate in Educational Administration from Seton Hall University.  

    Early in his career, Dr. Turnamian served as the Founder and Director of Greater Newark Charter School. His work with innovative “Data-Driven Instructional” models, was featured in the book, Driven by Data. Greater Newark Charter School was also highlighted in an issue of Educational Leadership for its outstanding student achievement.  Under his leadership, Greater Newark Charter School consistently produced some of the greatest academic gains for public middle school students in the city of Newark.

    In 2010, Dr. Turnamian was selected to serve as the Principal for Watchung Elementary School in Montclair, NJ.  During his tenure as principal, Watchung School was awarded a Blue Ribbon by the federal government and named a “reward” school by the New Jersey Department of Education.   In his career, Dr. Turnamian has served as the Assistant and Deputy Superintendent for Newark Public Schools, been the recipient of the “Cultivating Quality Education” Award, and continues to work as an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University.  He was twice a guest speaker at Harvard University Principals’ Seminar.  

    During his tenure as Superintendent of Schools for Rockaway Township School District, he launched and led district-level strategic planning to guide the successful implementation of several large-scale initiatives.   The district also demonstrated great success with building nationally recognized character education programs across all six schools. 

    Dr. Turnamian was born and raised in New Jersey and currently resides in Cranford, NJ with his wife Erin and their three children, Abigail, Riley, and Ryan.  Some of the family activities they enjoy the most include biking, travel, and family rounds of golf.  

     

    “There are no secrets to success.  It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” ~ Colin Powell

Office of the Superintendent