School board appoints middle school principal.
By: Melissa Hayes
The school board made Judith Black the permanent principal of Crossroads North on Monday.
Ms. Black has been serving as interim principal since September, when she took over for Joanne Kerekes, who was promoted to assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in July 2004.
Ms. Black will earn $109,750 this year. Under district policy, Ms. Black must be reviewed and reappointed to the job each year until she receives tenure, which she is eligible for after three years in the position.
Superintendent Gary McCartney said Ms. Black became interim principal while the district was conducting two rounds of interviews to fill the position. However, Ms. Black kept her name out of both searches.
"When Joanne left that position to come to the central office, we knew we had huge shoes to fill," Dr. McCartney said Monday night.
When the district’s searches came back empty, Ms. Black applied for the position.
Ms. Black said she didn’t go for the job at first because she was comfortable in her assistant principal position.
"I was completely happy and fulfilled with every facet of my assistant principal role," she said Tuesday.
Ms. Black said she didn’t want to take the job for the title or the money, but said she has grown into the position.
However, she said if she had to fill anyone’s shoes, it wouldn’t have been Ms. Kerekes’.
Ms. Black has been an assistant principal in the Crossroads North building since 1999 when it was the Upper Elementary School.
"She brought the school through its transition to Crossroads North," Ms. Kerekes said Tuesday.
Before that, Ms. Black was a world language teacher at Freehold Regional High School, something Ms. Kerekes said helps her communicate well with everyone.
"She’s absolutely a kid person," Ms. Kerekes said. "She knows all the kids’ names. Beyond that she knows their interests and how they’re doing in school. She knows their families."
Ms. Kerekes said it is not uncommon so see Ms. Black shooting an arrow during an archery lesson in gym class, or sitting in the back of a classroom and taking a math test along with students.
"The math teachers give her the problem of the day and she does it every day," Ms. Kerekes said.
Heading to her office after the district’s budget presentation Tuesday night, Ms. Black went straight to work organizing files and making sure everything was in order before heading home for the night.
"As interim, I got to be happy and fulfilled in my new role," she said sitting at her desk. "I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. This is my home now."