HILLSBOROUGH: It’s what — and who — you know to get hired

Many new school teachers are familiar faces

By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Familiarity breeds . . . employment?
Applicants who had some experience working within the Hillsborough School District had a leg up, it seems, when it came to landing a fulltime job this school year.
They needed some edge — there were more than 40 applicants for each open spot.
The district hired 62 new staff members and 16 long-term substitutes for the 2014-15 school year. Between April 1 and Aug. 31, the district received 2,795 applications for open positions.
New staff members were introduced to the Board of Education at the Sept. 8 meeting. Based on what the building principals said, at least seven previous substitutes, six Hillsborough graduates, one intern and one student teacher were among the hires.
That just an idea. If the new hire was not in attendance the principal didn’t always give an overview on the person.
"Having someone I have seen daily in action working with students helps me to know if he or she has the tools to see if they would be a good fit for the school," said Chris Carey, principal of the Auten Road Intermediate School. One of the teachers he introduced was Sarah Bryan Ashwell, a 2006 Hillsborough High alumna who was a substitute in 2012, to teach fifth grade science and math. She said subbing "gave me confidence" to apply for a fulltime job. Her first job was at the Princeton Community school
Joseph Trybulski, principal of the middle school, said the process of selecting long-term substitutes was rigorous in itself.
Patrick Heck, hired this fall as a literacy teacher at the middle school, worked with a teacher who ultimately retired. Colleague teachers recommended Mr. Heck, a College of New Jersey grad.
The district is fully staffed, with about 700 teachers and 100 educational services, guidance, child study team and others in a non-classroom role.
"These are an extraordinary group of professionals who are going to wonderful things for the children of Hillsborough," said Superintendent Jorden Schiff.