By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Obviously pleased and happy, Superintendent of Schools Nancy Gartenberg was honored by the Montgomery Township Board of Education on her selection as the Somerset County Superintendent of the Year Tuesday night.
Gartenberg was named as the county’s top school superintendent by the Somerset County Association of School Administrators, which means she is in the running to be named as the New Jersey Central Regional Superintendent of the Year.
The winner of the Central Regional Superintendent of the Year will compete against the winners of the other two state regions – Northern and Southern – to be named the New Jersey Superintendent of the Year.
Nick Markarian and Jorden Schiff, who are the superintendents of the Bernards Township and Hillsborough Township school districts, respectively, made the announcement at the school board’s Tuesday night meeting.
There was a round of applause for Gartenberg – punctuated by a cowbell that was rung by an audience member – after Markarian and Schiff made the announcement. Gartenberg smiled.
Markarian, who is the president of the Somerset County superintendents association, praised Gartenberg for her passion for children, her knowledge and expertise, and her self-motivation.
"She is an inspiration for me and for her superintendent peers," Markarian said.
School board president Richard Cavalli also praised Gartenberg.
"I have built a collaborative relationship with Nancy over the last five years as a parent of three students, a school board member and as president of the Montgomery Township Board of Education," Cavalli said.
"Over this time, I have been most impressed by Nancy’s passion to elevate the achievement and experience of all our students," Cavalli said.
Gartenberg has served as the Montgomery Township superintendent of schools since 2012. She began her career as a middle school teacher in the Hamilton Township school district.
She was hired as an assistant principal at the J.P. Case Middle School in the Flemington-Raritan school district and then became the school’s principal.
Gartenberg served as the superintendent of the South Hunterdon Regional High School District from 2007 to 2012.
Among her accomplishments in the Montgomery Township school district, Gartenberg and her leadership team studied the special education program, strengthening its autism program and also hiring a reading specialist to help students with dyslexia.
Gartenberg also led the effort to pass a bond ordinance for $18.5 million for school building upgrades and repairs. About 40 percent of the funding is coming from the State of New Jersey.
