by Jessica Ercolino, Staff Writer
ROBBINSVILLE — The local school district is hoping to have its new superintendent selected by late April.
The Board of Education has begun its first round of interviews to find a candidate to replace Superintendent John Szabo when he retires at the end of the school year. A second round of interviews will take place in February, and the school board plans to appoint the new superintendent by its April 28 meeting, Dr. Szabo said.
Board members are interviewing seven candidates, he said, but it was not clear how many had applied for the position. In December, 17 people had applied.
Last year, Dr. Szabo announced plans to retire at the end of the 2008-2009 school year after serving in Robbinsville for about four years. In October, the district entered into a $15,000 contract with the Illinois-based firm of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to help find his replacement.
While the board expects to make an appointment before Dr. Szabo’s intended June retirement, the new superintendent’s contract with his or her current district could require up to 120 days notice. In that case, Dr. Szabo said last week that he would remain with the district to alleviate the need for an interim superintendent.
Part of the Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates’ superintendent search process included polling more than 50 members of the Robbinsville community, such as school board members, Mayor Dave Fried, parents and students.
In addition to business acumen and a confident, strong leader able to make the tough decisions, community members said they hope the new superintendent will be a creative problem-solver who is resourceful, collaborative and communicates well, according to a firm consultant.

