Donald Burkhardt accepts district’s offer
By:Krzysztof Scibiorski
Donald J. Burkhardt, superintendent of Bethlehem Township schools, has been appointed as the new leader of the Manville School District.
Dr. Burkhardt will earn $125,000 in the first year of his four-year contract with the district, which was approved by the Board of Education on July 1. About 30 residents and educators joined the board in officially welcoming Dr. Burkhardt to the district.
|
Extra help needed before start date Before newly appointed Superintendent Donald J. Burkhardt assumes his new post Oct. 1, the district will have to hire an interim superintendent to serve during September for up to $15,000. Current schools’ chief Francis X. Heelan will step down on Sept. 1, and it appears unlikely that Bethlehem School District will release Dr. Burkhardt before Oct. 1, the end of a 90-day notice period required in his current contract. School board President Dorothy Bradley said that state law mandates that school districts have a sitting superintendent. According to Ms. Bradley, the district will get help from the New Jersey School Boards’ Association consultant Carole Larsen, in finding an interim chief during the summer. Ms. Larsen also coordinated the search process that netted Dr. Burkhardt for Manville. Richard Reilly, the district business manager, said that an interim superintendent is usually a retired superintendent who is paid on a per diem basis, often as much as $400-$800 per day. School starts on Sept. 3 for the teachers and the following day for the students. Krzysztof Scibiorski
|
"I feel wonderful about the support from the board," Dr. Burkhardt said. "I feel good about this job. Manville’s got a wonderful base and I look forward to nothing but great things here."
Retaining staff will be one of the challenges facing the new superintendent.
"In hiring staff it is very important to have somebody that will have a commitment to Manville," Dr. Burkhardt said. "Getting a good fit with the community is real important, especially in a smaller district."
Dr. Burkhardt said that he had not heard of former high school principal Terrance Fitzpatrick’s June 20 decision to resign from his post until Monday night’s meeting. He said that finding a principal for the school is the top priority for the district this summer.
He said that his six years of experiences as principal of Dunellen High School will help him bring continuity to a district that has had five high school principals in five years.
"Dunellen had 11 high school administrator changes, principals or vice principals, in the 11 years before I joined," Dr. Burkhardt said. "Now they have had seven years of stability, with the person I hired as vice principal being the principal."
Dr. Burkhardt served as superintendent in Bethlehem Township for one year.
Bethlehem Township is a two-school, K-8 district located in rural Hunterdon County. The district is home to just under 600 students, and per pupil spending stood at $7,357 com pared with Manville’s 2000-2001 figure of $7,602 per pupil for the borough’s 1,334 students. He added that a strong selling point in attracting and retaining staff should be the Manville community and the district’s small size.
"You have to be open and honest with the staff and the community, and once you do that people will support the schools," Dr. Burkhardt said. "I haven’t met anyone in Manville that doesn’t want to have a good education system in town."
School board President Dorothy Bradley called Dr. Burkhardt’s appointment "a victory for the children of Manville."
"I want him to take the reins of the district and go," she added. "He is a self-starter and a self-motivator which is what we need in this district."
Board member Mike Impellizeri also was excited about the new leader.
"He seems to be a very dynamic person, and he believes in the children," Mr. Impellizeri said. "All I ask is that he does his best, and the rest will be up to us as a community."
Former high school vice-principal Ned Panfile provided some advice to the new superintendent.
"The people in this town demand that people be honest with them. If you’re honest with them, then you’ll be here for a long time," said Mr. Panfile who has been involved with the district for 41 years.