Stockton chief is finalist at Alexandria

Suzanne Ivans will meet students, faculty and parents at a "Meet the Candidates" forum at Alexandria School tonight (March 22). She is vying with one other candidate for the job of superintendent at the K-8 schools.

By: Mae Rhine
   STOCKTON — When Superintendent Suzanne Ivans thinks about leaving Stockton Public School, her voice chokes, and she holds her hands over her face.
   Yet that just might happen.
   Ms. Ivans is one of two finalists for the top job in the Alexandria Township School District. She will meet parents, staff members and other interested people at a Meet the Candidates forum tonight (March 22) at the K-12 district.
   She will be there along with the other finalist, Vicke Pede, Morris Plains superintendent.
   Ms. Ivans points to a growing trend of superintendents leaving schools after only a few years. Lisa Brady is leaving South Hunterdon Regional High School after being there less than three years to return to Hunterdon Central Regional High School as its superintendent.
   Lambertville Public School is getting ready to hire a replacement for Richard Wiener, who has several years remaining in his contract when he left in 2005 to become Delaware Township’s new superintendent.
   Todd Fey has been the superintendent of West Amwell Elementary School for about four years, replacing longtime superintendent Tony DeCanzio who retired at the end of 2002.
   "I’m in my sixth year here," Ms. Ivans said of her stay at Stockton. "I’m probably one of the most ‘tenured’ in the county."
   She pointed out that the trend of superintendents leaving before the end of their contracts began developing after tenure was taken away from them by the state in 1991.
   But "I get a sense" that school districts "want more stability," Ms. Ivans said, pointing out "any kind of change" in leadership is disruptive to a district’s students and staff.
   A new superintendent comes in with a set of visions and ideas only to be replaced by someone else who might have an entirely different outlook, she said.
   "They (schools) get tired of that," Ms. Ivans said.
   The Alexandria district expects to hire a replacement for its current superintendent, Wendy Schadt before the Board of Education reorganizes after the school election April 17, Ms. Ivans said.
   If Ms. Ivans is chosen, she will leave the tiniest K-6 school in the state to lead a district that has two schools, one with grades K-3 and the other grades 4-8. That school has about 650 students, a far cry from the 47 Stockton has this year.
   At Stockton, Ms. Ivans is in the second year of a five-year contract at Stockton that gives her a salary of $99,000 for this year, $102,000 next year, $105,500 the following year and $109,500 for the final year.
   Ms. Ivans, 47, lives in East Amwell. She has an undergraduate degree from University of California, Santa Cruz, and a master’s degree from Rutgers University. She said she is pursuing a doctorate at Widener University and lectures at a teacher certification program at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa.
   Before coming to Stockton, she was at Flemington-Raritan where she held various positions, including supervisor of educational technology.