Neil Burti started his first day as Mount Laurel's superintendent Thursday, Sept. 3, after 24 years in Cherry Hill Public Schools.

About 4,500 students returned to class across the eight-school, pre-K through eighth-grade Burlington County district. Burti, 50, took over on Aug. 1 under a three-year contract, succeeding George Rafferty, who retired over the summer after a decade in the role, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Cherry Hill has already filled the gaps Burti left behind. The school board approved Caroline Steer, previously director of elementary education for Pennsauken Public Schools, as the district's new director of secondary education. John Cafagna, a nearly 28-year Cherry Hill veteran who had been principal at Rosa International Middle School, was approved as permanent principal at Cherry Hill High School East.

Burti's Cherry Hill career began with teaching and coaching and grew to include the director of secondary education role and a stint as principal at Cherry Hill East. He held the East job on special assignment for several months following a shake-up tied to a lawsuit alleging a former assistant principal faced discrimination and retaliation by the board and top administrators.

He told the Inquirer in an interview published Sept. 1 that he was not actively job-hunting when the Mount Laurel opening surfaced. "When this opportunity presented itself, I knew this would be a dream position," Burti said. "The reality is that Mount Laurel is a destination district."

His first-year priorities include pre-K expansion, early literacy, algebra readiness and a focus on what he described as belonging over simply fitting in. Burti said he also expects the district to remain fully staffed for all certificated positions, though he acknowledged uncertainty around the state funding formula.

Burti, a Marlton resident who lives with his wife, Jessy, and their four children, said he plans to visit all eight Mount Laurel schools during his first year as part of a listening tour before setting a long-range vision for the district.