Public input session set Oct. 6
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
An Oct. 6 public meeting has been scheduled to give members of the Hopewell Valley community a chance to say what talents and characteristics they would like to see in the next superintendent of schools.
Thomas Butler, interim superintendent, began work Sept. 1. He will be on board until the end of the 2008-2009 school year. He replaced Judith A. Ferguson, who resigned Aug. 31 after four years as superintendent.
The session will be held at 7 p.m. in the Central High School cafeteria.
School officials will explain the search process, the roles played by the Board of Education, the staff and community members during the process, and the tentative selection calendar.
”It is the community’s opinions about the ideal superintendent’s talents and personal characteristics, as well as the challenges he or she will likely face in the coming years in Hopewell Valley, that will dominate the evening’s discussion,” school district spokeswoman JoAnn Meyer said Friday.
The school board’s search consultant, Diane Morris of the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), will facilitate the forum.
Ms. Morris also is conducting smaller sessions with various focus groups, including students, parents, staff and community leaders, to gather input.
At the conclusion of the information-gathering sessions, Ms. Morris will use the input to help shape documents to be used in the screening and interviewing of candidates.
The tentative schedule for the superintendent search is:
• October – staff, student, parent, community forums, and newspaper/magazine advertisements placed.
• Jan. 5 – applications due.
• Mid-January – NJSBA provides school board with candidate list, selection process information and interview questions.
• February – first round of interviews conducted. School board narrows field to two-four candidates.
• March – second interviews conducted. Final selection made.
• July 1 – New superintendent starts work.
In May, after Dr. Ferguson announced her plans to retire, the local board decided to pay NJSBA $6,000 to conduct the national search.
According to NJSBA, the search process for long-term superintendents typically takes a minimum of six months. The chances of attracting good potential candidates are better in midwinter and early spring, when a superintendent looking for a career move is closer to the end of a school year. That’s one major reason why, in the spring, the local board chose to hire an interim schools chief for the current school year.
Superintendent search advertising costs are not covered by the board’s $6,000 contract with the NJSBA.