Randolph school admin injured in fire, placed on paid leave same day

After being injured in a fire in his home on Oct. 13, Randolph Superintendent of Schools David M. Browne was placed on an indefinite paid administrative leave from the district.

The school administrator had previously been on Family Medical Leave, but his status was changed following approval by the Board of Education on Tuesday. School Board Attorney Marc Zitomer confirmed the change in Browne's leave status, but due to privacy laws he couldn't provide any additional information as to why the status was changed from medical to administrative. He also didn't know how long the superintendent would be away from his position.

"I really don’t have an end date at this point in time," Zitomer told NJ 101.5 Thursday.

The board attorney said there is no mandate that caps how long a district employee can remain on a paid administrative leave, but Browne's contract expires on June 18, 2018. Browne, who's base salary starts at $167,500, initially took medical leave from his job in September for what school officials describe as "personal reasons."

Zitomer said the assistant superintendent of schools, Jennifer Fano, is currently serving as the acting superintendent in Browne's absence. Browne has been superintendent of schools in Randolph since July 2011.

On Oct. 13, Browne suffered burn injuries when a fire broke out in the detached garage of his home on Wyckoff Avenue. He was hospitalized, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, according to an article on NJ.com. His leave was changed from medical to administrative the same day, but district officials did not give a reason for the change.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Arson Squad was investigating the cause of the fire, but no determination has been released. Calls to the prosecutor's office were not returned Thursday. The Wyckoff Fire Department took a video of the fire at Browne's home and posted it to their YouTube page. No additional information on the blaze was available.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.