Board sets superintendent search timetable

   The school board says it hopes to choose a new chief school administrator by Oct. 31 so that the selected candidate can be on the job by January.

By:Casha Caponegro
   The school board says it hopes to choose a new chief school administrator by Oct. 31 so that the selected candidate can be on the job by January.
   Parents met with school board members and a consultant from the New Jersey School Boards Association on Monday to discuss plans for finding a new superintendent.
   Current Chief School Administrator Robert Bartoletti, who has held the position for the past 12 years, announced Aug. 15 he will resign this fall to direct a professional development program at The College of New Jersey effective Oct. 31. Dr. Bartoletti also is Cranbury’s principal.
   According to school board President Joan Rue, the Board of Education hopes to select his replacement by Oct. 31.
   The person selected by the board will then be have the opportunity to give his or her current employer 60 days notice. The board hopes the new superintendent would be on the job in Cranbury by Jan. 2.
   Search consultant Carole Larsen discussed the strengths of the Cranbury school system and the critical issues the district may face in the future.
   Additionally, parents suggested the professional and personal characteristics they would like to see in a new superintendent.
   Ms. Larsen, a former teacher who has been with the state school board association for 14 years, will be used as a resource for the school board to facilitate its search.
   Using suggestions from the school board, Ms. Larsen has already created a job advertisement, which ran in area papers last week. Ms. Larsen said the board has received about a dozen responses.
   Ms. Larsen visited the school twice Monday, once to meet with teachers and once to meet with parents. At both meetings, Ms. Larsen asked the same four questions: What are the strengths of the Cranbury School district? What critical issues will the school face in the future? What experience should the new administrator have? What sort of person would parents like to see in the job?
   "I will present the answers to these questions to the board," said Ms. Larsen. "Then the material from these meetings will be used to create interview questions and will be taken into account during reference checks."
   When asked what the strengths of the Cranbury School system are, parents were quick to praise the school for serving kindergarten through eighth grade. They also pointed out the low number of students and the high level of parental and community involvement.
   Parents were also satisfied with the common culture for high academic standards in parents, teachers and students. They felt that these standards act as a magnet, drawing parents and teachers with similar standards to the district.
   Many parents agreed that the largest problem facing the school in upcoming years will be the increase in enrollment and its impact on the school facilities. In addition, parents were concerned that the growth of the town may change the school’s current state of excellence, hindering its ability to meet the needs of all students.
   Parents also cited the school’s relationship with receiving high schools as a problem.
   They said students often were treated as outsiders when they enter high school and felt there was a need for better integration when students enter these schools.
   Ms. Larsen asked parents to list the professional credentials they would like to see in the new superintendent. Parents suggested that the person should have had a steady job history in a good school district.
   There were conflicting opinions concerning whether or not the new administrator should possess classroom or principal experience.
   Some parents felt that a broad educational background, with or without classroom experience, would suffice.
   One parent stressed that it was very important for the new superintendent to possess at least three to four years of classroom experience.
   As for personal credentials, parents provided Ms. Larsen with a list of qualities they would like to see in their new superintendent. These suggestions included a love of children, wisdom, motivation, a dynamic personality, a good listener and communicator.
   Ms. Larsen, who met with faculty members Monday, said the answers given by parents Monday night were very similar to those given by teachers.
   "There were no major discrepancies between the two groups," said Ms. Larsen. "I saw a great linkage in the issues."
   Ms. Larsen will write up the results of her discussions with parents and teachers and present them to the board Oct. 2.
   "Keep your fingers crossed and support the board," she told parents at the end of the meeting.