The blame for the recent embarrassments within the Freehold Regional High School District with respect to the bogus doctoral degrees purchased by their superintendent and his assistants rests squarely on the regional Board of Education.
A check of the records just prior to (James) Wasser’s appointment as superintendent over a decade ago will show that the then Board of Education named Wasser, previously an assistant superintendent within the district, to the superintendent post without performing a superintendent search and without considering any other candidates for the position.
At the time, numerous outraged community members appeared at a board meeting to remind the board that the selection of a new superintendent is probably the most important decision that confronts a board of education, and that the board owed it to the communities it represents, the children, and itself, to perform a thorough search for the best possible candidate.
The process, usually overseen by a search firm that specializes in superintendent recruitments, looks nationwide for candidates who share the philosophical mindset of the board and the district.
One of the key elements considered during the search is the character of the candidate. Only after a thorough search, including reference and character checks, should a school board appoint its chief school administrator.
Had the board performed the requisite due diligence
prior to appointing Wasser, perhaps this latest debacle, and the others that preceded it, could have been avoided.
Mark Orenzow
Marlboro