LPS to advertise for new superintendent

The goal is to have a new chief in place by July 1.

By: Linda Seida
   LAMBERTVILLE — With a goal of having a new superintendent at the helm by July 1, the Lambertville Public School Board of Education has agreed to begin advertising the position, the first step in the quest for a new administrative leader.
   The board will advertise the job on the Web site of the New Jersey School Boards Association, which is helping the district in its search for a new superintendent. Advertisements also will run in the Sunday editions of two newspapers, first Oct. 15 and again Nov. 5.
   The dates of the advertisements will bookend the annual association workshop held Oct. 25 to 27 in Atlantic City. There, bulletin boards also will hold postings for the position, giving the district even wider exposure.
   The board made the decision to move forward with the superintendent search during a meeting held Sept. 19.
   Interested parties must request an application by Nov. 27. Applications must be turned in by Dec. 18. Diane Morris, a field service representative for the association, will present the applications of qualified candidates to the board by Jan. 9.
   Every board member will read each application presented before deciding on a pool of candidates to interview, board President David Moraski said. In past superintendent searches, the board narrowed the field to 10 in one instance and to as many as 14 in another.
   The first round of interviews is tentatively scheduled for the week between Jan. 23 and 30. Board members then must decide which applicants to call back for a second interview. The second interviews are tentatively scheduled for Feb. 6, 7 and 8.
   The board then will narrow the field to between two and four candidates, Mr. Moraski said. The board will conduct background checks and check references of these applicants.
   Sometime between Feb. 12 and 19, the candidates who make it to the final round will be invited to participate in a public forum where the community will be able to meet them and ask questions, Mr. Moraski said.
   A public forum will allow the board to see how the candidates interact with the public and the parents as well as how they "handle themselves on their feet" and answer questions pertinent to the district, according to Mr. Moraski.
   "Hopefully, we’ll settle on someone in April and come to terms," he said.
   The board is not rushing the process because "we thought it was better to take our time," Mr. Moraski said. "We have an interim who is doing a great job."
   Staff and parents have praised interim Superintendent Madeline Gavin’s visibility, her communication skills and her decision-making ability.
   A school district may retain an interim superintendent for only two years. Mrs. Gavin has been on the job since October 2005. The board hired her after former Superintendent Richard Wiener resigned to become superintendent in Delaware Township.