by Eileen Oldfield, Staff Writer
The New Jersey School Boards Association is inviting residents to share their views on the state of Manville schools and the requirements for selecting the district’s next superintendent on Nov. 20.
The public input session, held by New Jersey School Boards Association consultant Gwen Thorton, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 20 in the Weston School auditorium, a news release from the association said.
The New Jersey School Boards Association advises sitting board members not attend the sessions.
”Anybody from the public is invited to the session,” Board of Education President Andrew Zangara said at Tuesday’s meeting. “They (New Jersey School Boards) recommend that no board members attend the input session.”
Ms. Thorton will provide information on the search procedure, the roles played by the board, school staff, and the public in the selection process, and a timeline for the search.
Residents’ comments at the meeting will help establish the criteria for background, training, and prior experience for position applicants. According to the release, discussion will focus on district strengths and concerns, on-going issues, and future issues that the new district leader would face.
Information from the discussion would be combined with input from both the board and the district staff, and would be used to develop selection criteria and interview questions.
The public input session follows a staff input session scheduled for 3 p.m. that day, Mr. Zangara said.
Currently, the district has placed an advertisement for the position in the Star-Ledger newspaper, Business Administrator and Board Secretary Richard Reilly said. The advertisement lists a deadline for requesting an application. Interviews are expected to begin in January, though Mr. Reilly noted that it was a tentative date.
For additional information, contact the Manville Board of Education Offices on Brooks Boulevard at 908-231-8500.

