MILLSTONE — With bittersweet feelings, Millstone Township Elementary School Principal Steve Wisniewski tendered his resignation to the Board of Education in late September and announced that his final day of work will be Nov. 30.
On Dec. 1, Wisniewski will begin his new job as the superintendent-principal in the Bradley Beach K-8 School District. He said his primary goal as he begins his new position will be to develop relationships with all the members of the school community.
“The decision to leave Millstone has been the most difficult in my career,” Wisniewski said. “I feel that the school community has grown tremendously over the last four years and the connections I have created will last a lifetime.
“I believe parents feel welcomed at our school and being involved in all aspects of their children’s lives is now the expectation. I am also so proud that we were able to bring true academic change to the school in many curricular areas through the creation of our strategic plan,” he said.
Wisniewski lives in Jackson with his wife, Erica, and daughters Abby, 7, Emma, 4, and Quinn, 2.
Millstone Superintendent of Schools Scott Feder said, “Bradley Beach has found a keeper. My best advice to Steve is to go into this new leadership role with an open mind, an open heart and a willingness to make the right decisions for students.”
Wisniewski said becoming a superintendent has been a professional goal for some time. He said he is looking forward to his new job as a superintendent-principal, which he considers a unique opportunity given the fact that a smaller educational community (one school) affords him a chance to perform in this dual role.
“I feel prepared for the role as I have been an administrator for the past decade, but working with the administration of Millstone, especially Scott Feder, has helped me to understand how to be a true educational leader,” he said.
Wisniewski was hired as Millstone’s elementary school principal in December 2011.
“Steve is a strong leader with a great sense of humor and he is a family man at heart,” Feder said.
Feder said he expects to recommend a candidate for the position of elementary school principal at the Oct. 26 board meeting and to have a new principal in place in January.
“We are still receiving applications and we hope to have a large pool of strong candidates,” Feder said. “So far we do have some very strong candidates on paper.”
Wisniewski said, “If I can give any advice to the next principal it would be to trust the administration and staff throughout the district … The new principal should trust their new colleagues throughout the transition.”
— Maureen Daye