Principal to leave for new position

Clara Barton School Principal Berenice Blum-Bart will become superintendent of the Tabernacle School District next month.

By: William Wichert
   BORDENTOWN CITY — Bordentown Regional Superintendent John Polomano has at least two words of advice for Clara Barton School Principal Berenice Blum-Bart: good communication.
   Ms. Blum-Bart will be taking those instructions into consideration as she becomes a superintendent herself next month in the Tabernacle School District.
   "Just keep everybody informed," Mr. Polomano said in a phone interview on Monday. "The good (part of being a superintendent) has always outweighed the bad."
   After nine years spent at the helm of one of the two elementary schools in the regional district, Ms. Blum-Bart will leave Clara Barton on June 24 and start three days later as superintendent of about 1,000 students in the K-8 school district in Tabernacle Township.
   Leaving the Bordentown area, however, will be somewhat bittersweet for Ms. Blum-Bart.
   "When I join a district, I like to call it home," said Ms. Blum-Bart, a resident of Cherry Hill. "Bordentown has been a wonderful place. The community and staff have also treated me well."
   Ms. Blum-Bart’s move to Tabernacle will be the next professional step in her 28-year career in education. After spending her first few years in South Brunswick, Ms. Blum-Bart spent 17 years in the East Windsor Regional School District, where she received the Presidential Award for Science Teaching in 1993.
   Under her guidance, Clara Barton has also earned several accolades. The school received the Star Schools award in the 1999-2000 year, and it was named as one of 10 New Jersey schools in the 2001-2002 year to receive the state Blue Ribbon award. The most recent recognition came this year, when Clara Barton was given a Magna Award by the American School Board Journal for excellence in education.
   "The most important piece is we’ve been able to provide a great learning experience for our students," said Ms. Blum-Bart.
   Her decision to go to Tabernacle is based on the need for new challenges and more professional growth, but Ms. Blum-Bart said her time spent at Clara Barton has fully prepared her for the job of a superintendent.
   "I feel (with) my leadership skills — I will just be extending them to another level," she said.
   Many of the issues faced by Tabernacle school officials will come as no surprise to Ms. Blum-Bart.
   Like the Bordentown area, the rural community of Tabernacle is gradually becoming more crowded and existing school buildings are undergoing new construction. The Tabernacle School District also is dealing with new state cap laws as it looks to control spending in the annual budget.
   The school environment in Tabernacle is no different than one in Bordentown Regional, where teachers, administrators, and community members work together to provide the best education possible.
   "They’re much like Bordentown," said Ms. Blum-Bart. "There’s a board and community members who are dedicated to putting kids first."