The board will likely hire an interim superintendent during the search.
By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
In the wake of Wednesday morning’s resignation of Superintendent of Schools Max Riley, the Lawrence Township Board of Education is gearing up to find a replacement.
Anticipating Dr. Riley’s actions, the school board met Monday night in closed session to discuss how it would fill the vacancy, school board President Laura Waters said. The board likely would hire an interim superintendent while it goes about filling the job on a permanent basis possibly by contracting with a search firm, she said.
Ms. Waters said Dr. Riley told her on May 17 that he was planning to accept the job of superintendent in the Randolph Township school district. She said she had heard rumors that ýPage=011 Column=001 OK,0046.03þ
he was looking for another job, before he informed her. Dr. Riley’s last day on the job is June 30.
"We have a short time to find an interim superintendent," Ms. Waters said. "There are a lot of wonderful retired superintendents, and I don’t doubt that we will find someone who will serve our needs for the next year."
The school board will discuss the issue in more depth at its regular June 15 meeting, Ms. Waters said. The board plans to give the community all the details about the process it will use to find an interim superintendent and a permanent superintendent. There will be opportunities for residents’ input in the search process, she added.
Dr. Riley’s departure also complicates the search for a new assistant superintendent for curriculum, Ms. Waters said. The ýPage=011 Column=002 OK,0039.03þ
school district has been without an assistant superintendent since Bruce McGraw resigned, effective Jan. 1. The board was close to hiring a replacement for Dr. McGraw in November, but decided to re-open the search.
"Some would argue that the board should let the new superintendent be involved in the search for an assistant superintendent," Ms. Waters said. "You want to make sure that the superintendent and the assistant superintendent have the skills set to complement each other. It probably makes more sense to find interims (for both jobs)."
On the other hand, Ms. Waters said, the board has asked Dr. Riley to provide it with the resumes of candidates for the assistant superintendent’s job. If the school board finds someone that it likes, it may hire that person on a permanent basis, she said.

