Board of Education considering six candidates for position.
By: Cynthia Koons
WASHINGTON With one school year left before Washington welcomes its first high school freshman class in September 2004, the search for the high school’s principal is on.
Six candidates are under consideration for the position and now face interviews with administrators, staff and school board members before an appointment is made this month. The candidates are from New Jersey and are current or former principals, Superintendent of Schools Paul Harren said.
"We did get (interested) candidates from outside the state," Mr. Harren said. "There seems to be a substantial interest in the part of educators that want to be a part of something new," he said.
Mr. Harren said the new principal ideally will be appointed at the school board meeting on Jan. 28 and will begin duties this spring, including ordering materials for the 2004-2005 freshman class and fostering student leadership.
The new $50 million high school building is scheduled to open on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road in September 2005, with a groundbreaking this spring. Its first freshman class will spend its ninth-grade year in Pond Road Middle School before moving into the new facility.
"This is a great opportunity for an educator to be involved in building something from the ground up and (dealing with) the challenge … of meeting the needs of the local community to try to create the kind of school the community’s looking for," he said.
Board of Education President Florence Gange said the new principal would begin meeting with the students to establish "the building culture."
The principal’s salary would range from $98,000 to $120,000, depending on credentials, Ms. Gange said.
"The principal will be fully meshed in getting the high school up the groundbreaking and everything," she said. "The students are already at the point of discussing the school colors and mascot," she said.
Mr. Harren, who served as a principal before becoming superintendent, said the responsibilities of a principal are more far-reaching than most people realize.
"I don’t think people understand the level of work and responsibility that’s attached to the position," he said. "It seems to be the further away you get from a classroom, the less people understand what the duties and responsibilities are."
He said the new principal would work closely with the superintendent’s office in staffing the new school, developing a curriculum and establishing a relationship with the community.
"One of the things the principal is going to be meeting with the students on is establishing community-related projects," Mr. Harren said. "The door is wide-open on this one."
Currently, Washington sends its high school students to Lawrence High School under an agreement that expires in September 2005.

