To the editor:
At the April 14 Board of Education Meeting, the Board voted to re-open the superintendent search with New Jersey School Boards. The search continued to move forward, the ad was processed and posted on the NJSBA website and the newspapers as well. By April 17, we had a sequential calendar and already had three inquiries!
This past Board of Education meeting on May 19, the board announced that South Brunswick School District would continue its search for a new superintendent with NJSBA. As the board had agreed back in April 14, if there were a sufficient number of inquiries by May 16, the search would continue with NJSBA.
To date, the number of inquiries is not only encouraging but also impressive. Among these professionals there are 20 seated superintendents, 22 holding doctorate degrees, and 24 from New Jersey. In addition inquiries include individuals in such states as Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia.
As we continue to move forward we hold expectations of a strong pool of applicants to interview. Hence, why we must remain focused on the goal: a candidate who has had successful leadership experience in all aspects of public education; has district-wide central office experience and administrative experience; has the professional and personal skill necessary to continue our tradition of collaboration, innovation and quality in a district recognized for excellence in education; has expert knowledge of research-based educational programs and process and be committed to continued improvement. A doctorate is preferred. It should be noted that all interim candidates interviewed had doctorates.
To effectively manage this critical selection process, arguably the most important decision a board of education will ever make, a comprehensive, congruent criteria was developed. The board, central office administrators, principals and supervisors, support staff, teaching staff, parent leaders and other community members participated in focus groups. These groups were asked to identify and prioritize strengths, critical issues, candidate background and style. These, relative to the selection, would be most qualified candidates, and in my opinion, would be most suitable candidate (best fit), as well, since I do recognize a difference. The candidate would not only have to measure up to the established criteria, but is a good fit as well.
It is important that we, the stakeholders review the congruent criteria once again, so that those responsible to make this important decision achieve the desired outcome. The following is the congruent criteria recorded from the feedback offered by the various groups within our community:
Strengths of our district are identified as quality of our schools, staff, programs and processes. A culture that supports, values and models learning; that supports processes that focus on planning and support innovation; supports services we provide for students and community support and involvement.
Critical issues include managing change to ensure continued quality and planning for the impact of growth on our entire system, continuing to improve quality initiatives geared to ensure high student achievement and to provide the resources such as space and staff to support our programs.
Background of the candidate is defined as having credibility as an educator, with multi-level experiences; embraces continuous learning and has a doctorate; proven administrative experience and success in managing change and having dealt with similar issues of quality, growth and diversity.
Style includes integrity and strength of character, a congruent philosophy with a commitment to our values and takes pride in excellence, skilled in collaborative decision making; a strong visionary leader with highly developed interpersonal skills, which is involved, approachable and respectful; possesses excellent communications skills necessary to inform, engage and motivate others.
This most important decision will directly affect the educational environment in our community not only in the present but likely for many years to come. Our last superintendent served for more than 10 years. I strongly encourage all the members of this great learning community to continue to stay involved in this process. Your feedback would not only be welcome but expected. This is not only about selecting a chief school administrator but also an educational leader with the proven skills to continue to challenge our thinking so that we may continue to raise our levels of academic achievement.
Harry J. Delgado
Dayton
Lt. Delgado is a member of the Board of Education.

