By elaine van develde
Staff Writer
TINTON FALLS — When school starts on Sept. 4, students will be greeted by many new faces.
In the kindergarten through eighth grade district, the revolving door of administrators stopped swinging with the hiring of Leonard Kelpsh as superintendent in March.
"Leonard Kelpsh has definitely brought stability to the district," said Board of Education member Sharon Fernandez. "He’s been working diligently since he started. He’s been bringing great people on board and we’re confident that his presence has been nothing short of a great asset. This, his first full school year, is going to be a great year."
Before Kelpsh, different factions of a warring Board of Education argued over who should and should not be at the helm in the district. The result was the early forced retirement and contract buy-out of former superintendent Carol Moldan.
After Moldan’s departure in 2001, an interim was brought into the district. Maryann Peifly, who was with the district in the winter of 2002, is now serving as interim top administrator in Holmdel.
Kelpsh was appointed following a search for a permanent administrator. A former Egg Harbor Township resident and superintendent in that district, Kelpsh describes himself as a hands-on administrator who chose Tinton Falls intentionally so as to effect change in a smaller district where he could maintain visibility. His colleagues say they see that change taking hold.
He came to Tinton Falls’ district from a K-12 district in Egg Harbor in which there were 6,200 students. In such a large district, he said, the hands-on sense was simply impossible to achieve. The move to Tinton Falls was a welcome one for him.
Working with Kelpsh are a few new administrators. This summer Steve Howard of Ocean City was hired as assistant principal of the Tinton Falls Middle School. Howard, whose official start date was July 1, comes to the district from Somers Point school district.
In the principal slot at the middle school is the familiar Olga Sica, who took over as acting principal when former principal John Lichtenberg left. Now the middle school will start the school year with a full complement of administrators, Kelpsh said.
John Russo is the new principal at Swimming River Elementary School. Russo, a Howell resident, started on Aug. 19 and comes from Keyport Central School, where he was an assistant principal.
In addition to new administrators, students will also see about 20 new staff members throughout the district. According to Kelpsh, the new list of staff includes teachers, instructional aides and ancillary service providers such as psychologists and speech therapists.
Leaving the district in the past year were about seven to eight teachers who either retired or resigned.
"We are extremely excited to start the year," said Kelpsh. "With the current group of people and new staff added over the summer, I truly feel confident that the renewed sense of stability we’ve worked on will stay intact for a long time to come."
Amid the staff changes and new stability, there are building changes on the horizon. A $4 million referendum, approved by voters in April, will fund a middle school expansion in the district.
According to Fernandez and Board President Paul Ford, ground is slated to be broken in the spring on the project. The target date for completion is Jan. 4.
The board also has a new vision for the new school year. "We are very excited for the upcoming 2002-2003 school year," said Ford. "There have been lots of changes in Tinton Falls. We welcome Dr. Leonard Kelpsh as our new superintendent. He has put in place an awesome new administrative team that is complemented by a new administrative team, a fantastic teaching staff and a unified board. We are looking forward to a great year."
In addition to changes in school, the board has jump started a few new initiatives, dubbed Curriculum of the Future, Student Quality of Life and Operation Overhaul.
Curriculum of the Future is designed to "raise the bar on academics within the district," said Ford. Student Quality of Life is designed to show the board’s commitment to students in the district by addressing their needs on a regular basis.
Operation Overhaul is a web-based tracking system designed to keep the public and board updated on initiatives and their successes or failures. "The primary goal is to enhance communication and promote the accomplishments of our district," said Ford.