The superintendent of a school district under investigation by two state agencies will return next month to the helm of his previous district to the tune of $145,000 per year.

Richard Corbett will take the top administrative post in East Newark, where he previously served as the superintendent, after he suddenly resigned from the Roselle school district with two years left in his contract.

Four out of seven East Newark board members on May 7 voted to rehire Corbett, current district superintendent Patrick Martin confirmed in an interview. The other three board members were absent.

"The Board of Education thought that he was a good fit for the district academically and to move the district forward and to look after the finances in an appropriate manner," said Martin, who announced his retirement in March.

The Roselle school board in February voted to ask the state Department of Education's Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance to review that district's finances.

Asked if the East Newark school board knew that when they voted to hire Corbett, Martin said he believes they did.

"Our board, I believe, was aware of that, and ... still felt that given his track record here for five years, he would be able to run the district appropriately."

None of the seven school board members could be reached for comment.

East Newark's district has one school that serves about 273 students in preschool through eighth grade. More than three-quarters of students are economically disadvantaged, state data shows.

Corbett worked in East Newark from 2007 to 2012 before leaving to lead the Hardyston district in Sussex County. He became the interim superintendent in Roselle in December 2016 and the permanent superintendent the following June.

His five-year contract with the East Newark district requires him to take a pay cut from his current job, where state data shows he earned $167,325 as of March. He will earn $145,000 in the 2018-2019 school year and an additional $1,000 every subsequent year, according to a copy of his contract obtained through a public records request.

Corbett's contract will begin July 1 and automatically renew at the end for another three years, unless the school board votes otherwise.

In response to a request for comment, Corbett said he would be out of New Jersey for a few days. He did not respond to a follow-up email.

The state Department of Education's Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance is investigating the Roselle district's business practices after the school board's vote to request it visit, board attorney Allan Roth previously said.

OFAC is the investigatory branch of the education department and probes a range of conduct, from ethics violations to possible violations of law. It refers its findings to other departmental divisions for potential action.

Meanwhile, a section of the state Department of the Treasury -- the Division of Purchase and Property Contract Compliance Audit Unit -- visited the district this winter to review two of its contracts with vendors, Roth said.

A Treasury spokeswoman said the compliance and audit unit requested a site visit to confirm the district's compliance with the state's Equal Employment Opportunity laws.

Three months before submitting his resignation, Corbett removed the responsibilities of his business administrator, Jason Jones, and Jones's secretary, Jade Wilson, without explanation. The school board later terminated their employment.

Jones did not respond to a recent request for comment. Wilson could not be reached.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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