By David Kilby, Staff Writer
CRANBURY — The Cranbury Board of Education has chosen Dr. Susan Genco, of Brick Township, as the school district’s new chief school administrator and principal.
Dr. Genco was appointed at a meeting Wednesday, ending a seven-month search after the resignation of Cranbury’s former chief school administrator and principal, John Haney, in November.
Carol Malouf, who was chief school administrator for Cranbury from 2001 to 2007, has been serving as interim CSA.
The exact date Dr. Genco will become CSA has not yet been determined, but members of the board anticipate the date to be sometime in July.
”I think she’s coming to us with a lot of good ideas. I think she is a great match for our district. She has a very good appreciation for the K-eight model,” said Jenn Cooke, board member and head of personnel.
Dr. Genco began her educational career as a school psychologist in the Hazlet School District, then moved on to serve as vice principal of Spring Lake Heights’ K-8 school.
Afterward, she became principal of Drum Point Elementary School in Brick Township where she worked up until last year when she became principal of Emma Haven Young School, a K-5 school in Brick.
She earned her doctorate in educational leadership from Rowan University, Glassboro.
According to an article on the Brick School District website, — www.brickschools.org — written by Drum Point Assistant Vice Principal Colleen Kerr, Dr. Genco’s accomplishments at Drum Point included working with the town to create an outdoor playground area, including an amphitheater, gardens and fresh air classrooms, and leading Drum Point in receiving a $10,000 grant from OceanFirst Bank — which was used to start the Drum Point Daily Dish, a student-produced daily news show seen on closed-circuit TV.
Also, under Dr. Genco’s supervision, Drum Point staff members developed the Partners in Education committee, dedicated to improving the relationship with the Brick community.
Dr. Genco’s college thesis was on “The Identification of Gifted Students and the Development of Gifted Programs in Our Schools,” according to Ms. Kerr’s article.
Ms. Cooke said Cranbury school officials are looking forward to Dr. Genco’s fresh ideas for the Cranbury School District as school officials begin their relationship with her.
”She lived in Brick and went to school in Brick so she did those things for the town she grew up in,” Ms. Cooke added.
The CSA search was led by Leadership Advantage, of Eatontown, New Jersey, and was a collective effort by the nine members of the Cranbury School board.
Dr. Genco’s salary for 2011-12 will be $130,000. Mr. Haney’s salary was $138,444.80, and Ms. Malouf gets paid $600 a day.
”Dr. Genco possesses all of the leadership qualities that one needs to succeed in the dual role of chief school administrator and principal and exhibits a true love for children,” said Lynne Schwarz, board president, in a letter to Cranbury parents announcing the new CSA. “The board believes that Dr. Genco will be a good fit to Cranbury School and will add something special to our community.
”She not only has the experience as a principal but also has experience in a K-8 school like Cranbury,” Ms. Schwarz said to The Cranbury Press. “She understands the standards of excellence of our faculty and staff.”
Ms. Schwarz added Dr. Genco was looking for a family, not a job.
”She came to us for this particular position,” she said. “She was not out shopping for a job. She saw the opening in Cranbury School and decided to choose this very specific position.”
In the letter, Ms. Schwarz said, “We look forward to working together with Dr. Genco on our path to excellence.”
Dr. Genco was not immediately available for comment before press time.

