WANAQUE — Gerald Lysik, who as Lakeland Regional High School superintendent saw the district win top honors under his leadership, died this week. He was 67.

Lysik led the district for 14 years until 2000 and was known and loved by his staff for “not micro-managing and letting people do their jobs,” said current Superintendent Al Guazzo.

“I don’t know where to begin; he was an exceptional individual who allowed his people to work and bring him their ideas,” said Guazzo, who was principal under Lysik. “He was my mentor and a very personable and family-minded man. He always treated people like they were family.”

Lysik came to Lakeland in 1986 from the 3,100-student Lake Forest District in Harrington, Del. and retired to become a professor at Rowan University in Glassboro for several years. During his tenure, Lakeland Regional, which serves Ringwood and Wanaque, saw its enrollment decrease from about 1,400 students to nearly 1,000. As a result, Lysik spent a lot of his time balancing the needs of the district with dwindling state aid even as costs rose.

While at Lakeland Regional, Lysik brought in block scheduling and expanded the technology program so computers were used in courses such as desktop publishing, robotics, and multimedia projects along with the basics of language and mathematics. The cutting-edge techniques earned the school a “Best Practices” nod from the state in 1993-94.

In 1995, the school was recognized as a Star School, and Lysik told a Record reporter the credit belonged to his staff.

"It's not just one little endeavor — it's everybody's been doing good work across the curriculum," Lysik said at the time. "To get those kinds of results with a diverse student population and cost-conscious budgets, this is a tremendous accomplishment."

Lysik was a graduate of St. Lawrence College in Canton, N.Y., and received a doctorate in educational administration from Syracuse University.

He was residing in Wenonah, NJ., and is survived by his wife, Patricia J. (nee Dmochowski), his children Deborah Williams and husband Michael of Eldersburg, Md., Daniel Lysik and his wife Kimberly of Timonium, Md., Stephen Lysik and his wife Kelly of Waldwick, and Amy Barbrack and her husband James of Clarks Green, Pa., sister Cynthia Solan and her husband John of Cossayuna, N.Y., and 12 grandchildren.

As an expression of sympathy, contributions in Lysik’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1851 Old Cuthbert Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034.

E-mail: williamsb@...