West Windsor-Plainsboro superintendent retiring after 12 years in the district.
By: Emily Craighead
West Windsor-Plainsboro schools will lose a top administrator this summer.
Jon Cosse, assistant superintendent for pupil personnel services, announced he will retire Aug. 31 after 12 years in the school district. The Board of Education accepted his resignation Tuesday.
"Dr. Cosse has been invaluable to me, to the district, and to the Board of Education," Superintendent Robert Loretan said.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him and will miss his dedication and devotion, his creative thinking and his laughter," he said.
Dr. Cosse came to West Windsor-Plainsboro schools in 1993 as guidance director at High School South and was district planning director before assuming his current position.
Working with at-risk youths at the Wall Youth Center in Wall Township, as well as coaching swimming, diving and softball, originally inspired him to pursue a career in education.
"I’ve always had that love of coaching with my kids as they grew up," he said. "That’s what pushed me toward the guidance field."
Dr. Cosse began his career as a fifth-grade teacher in 1966 before tackling one of the most difficult age groups sixth, seventh and eighth grades as a guidance counselor.
"I had students that had problems at home, and I found their problems were preventing things from happening in the classroom," he said.
At Hunterdon Central schools, he helped establish one of the first alternative schools at the regular school campus, avoiding widening the gap between at-risk students and their peers.
Working with children helped Dr. Cosse, 61, understand how he interacts with people and what motivates their actions a skill invaluable when working with the school board.
During his tenure in West Windsor-Plainsboro, he has helped establish the district’s developmental guidance and counseling program, the inclusive special-education program including an in-district alternative school and the crisis-management program.
In addition, Dr. Cosse led the district through a complete revision of the policy manual and was the force and leader behind the new Strategic Planning Initiative, which focused the district on its future goals and objectives, according to Dr. Loretan.
Before Dr. Loretan arrived, Dr. Cosse was interim superintendent.
"I think I kind of bridged a tumultuous period when there was a lot of change (in the district)," Dr. Cosse said.
The superintendent praised the way his colleague introduced him to the district when he arrived.
"It takes a certain kind of person to do that in as powerful a way as he did," Dr. Loretan said.
Although he is retiring from West Windsor-Plainsboro, Dr. Cosse said he plans to continue working in education as a consultant in New Jersey or as a superintendent in a neighboring state.
"There’s such a need (for superintendents), and I have five good years left to use my talents and fulfill my dream," he said.
He said he will miss the "amazing" people he has worked with in the district.
"Some people who have only known this district don’t know how good a job they are doing," he said.