will incur no
salary increases
Restructuring
will incur no
salary increases
BY CHRISTINEVARNO
Staff Writer
Renee Bonin
OCEANPORT — The borough Board of Education will introduce a restructured administration for the start of the new school year on Sept. 7.
James H. Di Giovanna, who has been holding down the dual positions of superintendent of schools and principal of Wolf Hill School for two years, has been appointed as superintendent and chief school administrator.
Renee Bonin will be filling the position of principal of Wolf Hill School; her former position as the supervisor of curriculum and instruction for the borough’s school district will be eliminated.
"Now is the right time for restructuring," Di Giovanna said. "Over the past five to seven years, the roles of both principal and superintendent have changed."
Di Giovanna said he now will have more time to focus on being a superintendent of the district and will have the opportunity to be present in both the school district buildings (Wolf Hill, grades K-4, and Maple Place, grades 5-8) throughout the course of the day.
"With the development of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, new state assessments [tests] as well as No Child Left Behind legislation, principals need to be educational leaders now, rather than just school building managers," Di Giovanna said.
"Similarly, the Board of Education, the community, and the paperwork and code modifications associated with the recent federal and state legislation place greater time demands on school superintendents," he said.
He can now focus more closely on curriculum and instruction, he said.
The duties formerly carried out by Bonin as the supervisor of curriculum and instruction will be split among the principals of the schools, the superintendent and all the administrators, according to Di Giovanna.
Joseph Henderson, president of the Oceanport Board of Education, said the primary responsibilities of curriculum and instruction will be assumed by Di Giovanna.
Bonin and John Amato, the principal of Maple Place, will be responsible for the areas that pertain to their buildings, Henderson said.
Bonin was the supervisor of curriculum in the school district for the past eight years and last year participated in Project EXCEL, a program designed to prepare teachers as active advocates for achievement of high academic standards by all students, according to a news release from the Board of Education.
The program required 225 hours of classroom instruction, 60 hours of internship, and the completion of three research projects and culminated in a principal certificate. Bonin completed the program successfully in March.
She explained the program was an alternate route for principals to be certified.
She said she already knows the teachers in the school well, and she now looks forward to getting to know the children and their parents.
"I am very excited and pleased to have the opportunity to be principal," Bonin said. "I am looking forward to getting my kid-connection back."
Henderson said both Di Giovanna’s and Bonin’s salaries will remain the same.
"The board did not add to the number of administrators nor were any salaries increased due to restructuring," Henderson said.
He said the restructuring exemplifies the board’s interest in professional improvement among its staff.
"We are continually looking for ways to improve the district," Henderson said. "The restructuring is something that is cost effective and more efficient."