Tell board’s consultant what qualities they’d like to see in a new leader for the district
By: Lea Kahn
Wanted: one superintendent of schools. Must be personable, demonstrate leadership skills and be open to new ideas — but not one to jump on the bandwagon of trendy education ideas.
That’s the job description parents gave to Jacqueline Roy, the consultant who is helping the school district search for a new superintendent, at a special meeting Tuesday night. Ms. Roy helped the school board find the current superintendent, Dr. Claire Sheff Kohn, seven years ago.
Ms. Roy has been hired by the Lawrence Township Board of Education to find a replacement for Dr. Kohn, who is leaving Lawrence in July to take the top administrative post in the Princeton Regional School District.
Ms. Roy told the handful of parents attending Tuesday night she had already met with school and community groups last week. Now, she said, she is seeking comment from the public — information she can share with prospective candidates.
When Ms. Roy asked the parents to describe the Lawrence Township school district so that candidates will know what is going on in the district, they replied it is a district that strongly supports education.
The community, highly educated and ethnically diverse, routinely approves the school board budget, they said. Voters recently approved providing money to update computer technology in the schools, they said.
The schools work well with the community, and there is a good relationship between the school district and Township Council and the Lawrence Township Education Foundation, they said. The teachers care about the students and listen to the parents.
The new superintendent will have the chance to take a school district that is underperforming and to turn it around, making a name for himself or herself in the process, one parent said. The school district is “okay,” but it could easily become one of the most sought-after school districts in the area, she said.
Several parents said Lawrence High School has an excellent program for students in the honors track, but it should provide more challenging courses for students who are in the regular college track. There should be more emphasis on writing skills.
Asked about the qualities and characteristics the new superintendent should possess, the parents quickly said he or she should not be one who jumps on every educational bandwagon — one who does not read a book and then decide the district should adhere to its ideas.
The new superintendent should continue the open-door policy initiated by Dr. Kohn, one parent said. Many people in the school district call Dr. Kohn by her first name, she said.
Other parents said the superintendent should be skilled in public relations and in making the community feel good. The superintendent should not sit in the office, but should move around in the school community, they said.
A leader — not an administrator — is what is needed, the parents said. The superintendent should be someone who has high expectations of himself or herself and of the staff, one parent said, adding that people rise to meet the level of expectations.
It is not necessary for the new superintendent to have had experience as a superintendent, the parents said. Experience as a high school principal might be more helpful, because this is where the challenges lie, they said.
Ms. Roy, who is being paid $19,500 for her work, said she has begun advertising the superintendent’s opening in several publications, including the Newark Star-Ledger, Education Week, and the American Association of School Administrators on its Web site. A brochure will be prepared, also.
The pool of applicants for superintendent positions is much diminished compared to seven or eight years ago, Ms. Roy said. When Lawrence was searching for a superintendent last time, there were about 80 applicants. The board will be fortunate if 40 people apply this time, she said.
Many superintendents are reaching retirement age, and many assistant superintendents do not want to leave their jobs. It is harder to find teachers and principals, also, because students have decided to attend law school or business school. They can be well-compensated in those professions, she said.
School board Vice President Mary DiMartino said the board has set a deadline of May 31 for receiving applications. Interviews will begin in June, and a new superintendent is expected to be at work by September. If the board is not satisfied with the applicants, the search can be extended, she said.
In the meantime, the board has not decided whether it wants to hire an acting superintendent — someone from within the district — or an interim superintendent from outside the district to fill the gap between the time that Dr. Kohn leaves and her successor takes over, Mrs. DiMartino said.