ROBBINSVILLE: Schools leader tabbed

by Vic Monaco, Managing Editor
   ROBBINSVILLE — The school district plans to hire a township resident and assistant superintendent from the West Windsor-Plainsboro district as its new leader.
   Steve Mayer, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the WW-P district, confirmed Tuesday that he will soon succeed Jack Szabo as superintendent.
   ”It’s very exiting. Robbinsville is a district that believes strongly that it is at a turning point and a place that has the potential to rival some of the best districts in the state,” said the Brookshire Drive resident. “I live in the community and it values education.”
   He added, “The administrators I have met and the administrative team and the school board are focused on what they are hoping are the next steps in realizing their full potential.”
   Dr. Mayer was informally selected by the board in closed session Monday night – the same night another WW-P assistant superintendent, Thomas Smith, was formally hired as the superintendent of the Hopewell Regional district.
   Robbinsville school board President Michael Reca confirmed the decision later Tuesday, writing in a press release that Dr. Mayer was one of two finalists chosen from a pool of 27 applicants. He said the decision was based largely on his “his commitment to Robbinsville and his outstanding leadership skills, combined with his vision for the district’s future and his proven track record as a highly successful administrator…”
   Mr. Reca said a formal appointment is expected April 28 at the board’s organization meeting after references are checked and board members visit the WW-P district. Dr. Mayer said he expects to begin his new job in July.
   Dr. Szabo announced last year his plan to retire at the end of this school year after serving in the district 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 placement.
   Dr. Mayer said he earned his undergraduate degree from Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., and his master’s in educational administration from Rutgers.
   He started in the WW-P district in 1999 as the first principal of the Thomas Grover Middle School and became assistant superintendent in the summer of 2007.
   He called his departure from WW-P “bittersweet.”
   The 45-year-old has lived in Robbinsville since 1993.
   He has a wife who teaches in the district and three sons who attend Robbinsville schools.
   A contract has not yet been negotiated, Mr. Reca said.