BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer
A year after it was vacated, the position of Milltown superintendent of schools will be filled by Joyce Kilmer School Principal Linda Madison.
Madison will venture into both familiar and uncharted territory when she begins her term as both principal of Parkview School and superintendent on July 1. The two positions are being merged as part of an administrative reorganization.
“I feel like I’ve worked my whole career for this,” Madison said. “I feel like I’m a very collaborative person, a team player who really and truly believes in the synergy of an organization. And I think that, together, all kind of paddling in the same direction, we’re going to lift Milltown to even the next level.”
Madison, who will be given a three-year contract with a starting salary of $130,000, will take over for Interim Superintendent James Sheerin, who came to the district last year after the resignation of former Superintendent Ann Evangelista.
The Board of Education announced its selection of Madison at Tuesday night’s meeting, ending an almost yearlong state of what Madison called “limbo” in the school district.
“We’re glad to have closure on this so that we can move forward,” Madison said. “I think everybody feels that way.”
The district began the process to fill the position with 38 candidates. Madison, current Parkview School Principal Janet Ferlazzo and Old Bridge Assistant Superintendent Gail Verona were the three finalists.
Board of Education President Barbara Pietanza said Madison is the right fit to head the district’s new collaborative system of administrative governance, which will also include a principal of Joyce Kilmer, a business administrator, a director of student services and a curriculum coordinator.
“All three candidates brought experience to the table, and we selected the candidate that we felt would move our district forward using the new collaborative model,” Pietanza said.
Madison, who has been principal of Joyce Kilmer for five years, was a science instructor in several districts for 15 years, and a math and science supervisor in the Flemington Raritan Regional School District for three years before coming to Milltown.
“So there’s been a lot of stops along the way,” Madison said. “But once I started to work here, I realized this was a perfect match for me, and I’ve been happy the whole time I’ve been here. And it’s always been my desire to lead the school district, and certainly I’d like to be here for a long, long time.”
Madison was beginning her second year at Joyce Kilmer when she completed her doctorate, which she said gave her the desire and confidence to work toward becoming a superintendent.
“I felt like that would be the natural progression,” Madison said. “I was anxious to be the next superintendent, and certainly when Dr. Evangelista retired, the timing was perfect for me. I felt like I was ready to apply for that and was very much looking forward to that.”
Madison said the district can now focus its efforts on completing the administrative team, which has yet to hire a curriculum coordinator and a principal for Joyce Kilmer.
Sheerin said the district plans to fill the principalship of Joyce Kilmer next week. He said the Board of Education will make that decision at a meeting Tuesday night.
“So it’s on a fast track, and the reason being is that we need to have our administrative staff in place as soon as possible, so they can begin this new administrative team,” Sheerin said. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”
The district plans to hire an administrative assistant who will also be part of the new collaborative team.
Although many members of the team are already in the district, they will be playing different roles than under the current system. Because of that, Madison said, it may take some time for the members of the new team to gel.
All members of the team, however, have the same goal in mind — increasing student achievement.
“We’ve come a long way, and we’ve done a lot in the five years that I’ve been here to raise the bar and to move forward,” Madison said. “But now I’d like to look at, not only the numbers of students that are in the proficient range on the state assessments, but I’d like to advance more of our students into the advanced proficiency range.”
Madison said she has begun to institute programs in Joyce Kilmer designed to strengthen the math skills of district students, and would like to implement those programs at Parkview as well.
The district’s students have generally scored higher on the language arts literacy portion of standardized state exams, so she has increased the amount of math instruction for grades four through seven, and plans to tweak the schedule to provide that same instruction to eighth-graders as well.
This, however, is not an indication of any weakness on the part of the students. Rather, she said, the district has reached high levels of accomplishment and is capable of advancing further.
“Right now, we’re at a fairly distinguished level among our counterparts in other towns,” Madison said. “We have a lot to be proud of.”
Madison said she has worked in other outstanding school districts that employ a wealth of innovative programs. She said she has been able to bring those innovations to Milltown because the district is proactive, open-minded, and boasts a more-than-capable teaching staff.
“The teachers are excellent teachers, they are lifelong learners, they’re willing to always learn new techniques and strategies, and do whatever it takes to help students be successful,” she said. “And that’s what makes an outstanding school district.”
She said there exists a mutual admiration between the schools and the public, which fosters an atmosphere of respect and cooperation. That environment provides administrators with a comfort level that encourages growth and success, she said.
“I don’t think we really grow unless we feel the safety to take that leap to the next level, and that’s what I think sets this district apart- that we’re all able in this district to take that leap to the next place,” Madison said. “It’s been exciting for all of us.”
Madison said she is always looking for a new challenge, and was thrilled to be given this opportunity to begin a whole new chapter in her career.
“I’ve never been the kind of person who’s always been satisfied with the way things are, I’m always looking to see how I can make things better, and I’m very excited about having the opportunity to do that here,” Madison said. “There’s no better place to be.”