School year begins with interim chief

By Stephanie Prokop, Staff Writer
CHESTERFIELD — The K-6 Chesterfield Elementary School was scheduled to open its doors for its first day of school on Wednesday with a new interim superintendent at the helm of the district.
    Walter Keiss, 62, who will be serving as the interim superintendent, said he is looking forward to coming to Chesterfield in his 39th year in education.
    Mr. Keiss, who will be earning $500 a day, comes to the district to replace superintendent Dr. Constance Bauer.
    Dr. Bauer was earning approximately $125,000 a year before she left the district. She is now the superintendent of the Bordentown Regional School District, a K-12 district.
    Mr. Keiss was the Burlington County Superintendent for seven years before retiring in June 2007.
    His days of enjoying retirement were short, he said, as he soon replaced Helena Sullivan in Springfield last year as interim superintendent.
    Mr. Keiss had also previously served as superintendent of the Tabernacle School District, a K-8 district.
    Mr. Keiss said the school board has hired Ed Meglis and Charley Prato, two educational search consultants from Voorhees, but Mr. Keiss himself will not be aiding the school board in screening a potential candidate.
    He said that he is enthusiastic to get into the school year, and getting acquainted with the students and teachers.
    “We’re really looking forward to the school year. This year we have about a 9 percent increase in population, and new staff, so we think it’s going to be an exciting year,” he said.
    The projected growth is due to the increased number of houses that have been constructed in the town center part of the municipality. Last year, voters approved a $31 million referendum for a new, larger elementary school to accommodate growth by 2010.
    “Coming to Chesterfield has been a pleasure, and it’s just a great place with a really good community and an excellent school district,” Mr. Keiss said Tuesday.