UPDATE: Berkeley Board of Ed Appoints Roselli As Superintendent, Bypasses Parlapanides

The Berkeley Township Board of Education is set to approve a contract to hire James Roselli as superintendent, even though Central Regional Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides had offered to do the job for free.

The board voted unanimously at a special meeting Monday night to authorize Roselli's contract be sent to the Ocean County schools superintendent for approval, said board Vice President James Fulcomer.

"After the approval is secured, the board has to vote on the contract, most likely at the June 28 meeting," he said.

Details of Roselli's contract, including salary, benefits and length, cannot be released to the public until the board formally approves it, Fulcomer said.

The position has a $155,000 salary cap.

Roselli is the principal of the Berkeley Township Elementary School and interim director of special services.

The board hired the consulting firm Leadership Advantage for $6,500 on April 19 to begin a search for candidates. said in May at a community forum he did not expect to have a permanent superintendent on board until school opened in September.

after it was advertised and said he would assume the additional superintendent duties for free.

Although he was asked by board members to attend a closed session before the position was posted, said he did not feel comfortable doing that and preferred to wait until the job was advertised.

"I said I will gladly come in for an interview, once the job was posted," Parlapanides said tonight. "I just wanted it to be on the up and up, make sure it was done right in the public eye. I just wanted a fair process."

He was never interviewed by the board, said.

"I wish him (Roselli) well," said Parlapanides. "I hope he does what's best for the kids."

Marasco said at the May community forum he hoped to have a list of roughly six to seven candidates to present to the school board two weeks later.

"My job is not to pick the superintendent," Marasco said then. "It's to provide a short list of candidates. I will not give the board any applicants I have not had a face to face interview with."

Board President could not be reached for comment last night.

, said it would be more appropriate for Pellecchia to comment on why the board opted for Roselli, rather than someone who would do it free of charge.

Board members also appointed to serve as interim superintendent in late May. Morris has been paid $500 a day since June 1, for a total of $8,500 as of June 25.

The board's vote Monday night was the beginning of the end of a search for a permanent superintendent that dates back to June 2009. For a chronology,