WANAQUE — Lakeland Regional High School is heading into the school year without a principal after school board members eliminated the position as a cost saving measure.

The late-July elimination resulted in the departure of Matthew Certo, the school’s principal since 2014. Joseph Walker, the board’s vice president, said the decision was made to save money as the high school district attempts to cope with a cut in March of more than 7% in state aid for the 2019-20 school year.

The 950-student high school district retains a dean of students, an assistant principal and a superintendent to help manage operations, records show.

“It was strictly a financial decision,” Walker said. “We did something like this a few years ago ... It worked out.”

The move eliminates Certo’s roughly $141,000 annual salary and additional benefit costs. This spring, the district saw a $344,000 reduction in state aid, from $4.7 million to $4.3 million.

In 2010, board members voted to fuse the principal and superintendent roles under then-Principal Anthony Riscica. That move saved the district $174,000 in annual salary. It came in response to budget cuts implemented by former Governor Chris Christie and beat out other options, including sharing a superintendent with the K-8 Wanaque sending district.

Certo was hired in the summer of 2014, creating a separate principal position for the first time since 2010. Certo previously served as the principal at Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School for one year, the assistant principal of Ramsey High School for nine years and assistant principal at St. Joseph's High School in West New York for five years.

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