By Philip Sean Curran
Staff Writer
Superintendent of Schools Stephen C. Cochrane, declaring himself “grateful” to lead the school system, re-upped with the district in a new contract through June 2022.
The school board voted Tuesday 9-1 to approve the five-year-deal retroactive to July 1, in which Cochrane will earn $196,584 annually and be able to earn additional pay pushing the deal in excess of $200,000. As part of their 9-1 vote, board members rescinded his original deal that was due to expire next year.
Cochrane, speaking afterward, said the contract represented an “affirmation of the continued direction for our school district.”
In his time in Princeton, he has stressed the need for student “wellness,” brought in a positive psychology consultant and sought to support reforms — like designated homework-free weekends — both in the short and long terms.
In his comments, Cochrane touched on a subject he has addressed before, namely a “redefinition of success” for students in a high-performing school system where many of them say they are stressed out from their workload. That new meaning of success, he said, “incorporates high levels of achievement for all of our kids but also one that incorporates high levels of joy and purpose.”
“I’m truly looking forward to the next five years to see what we can accomplish together,” he added. “I’m grateful and humble to be able to serve in this capacity.”
With only board member Debbie Bronfeld voting against the pact, officials lauded Cochrane’s work in the district since he started in 2014 and looked forward to the future with him continuing to lead the school system.
“Steve Cochrane has showed himself to be a real leader in education,” board President Patrick Sullivan said.
Recalling the search the board did in 2013 to find a replacement for then-Superintendent Judith A. Wilson, Sullivan said officials felt Cochrane stood out.
“We were really impressed by Steve’s articulateness about education, about his vision for what he thought a public school could be,” he said. “In order to have a superintendent to get results, you need to have a superintendent who understands the way that a school works. And Steve does.”
Board member Justin Doran called Cochrane a “leader” and a “unifier” — “someone who has brought collaborative efforts to the board, to the district, to the teachers.”
Cranbury representative Evelyn Spann, whose district sends its eighth-graders to Princeton High School, told Cochrane that officials in her district “appreciate what you do and in helping our students transition over.”
