The Millstone Township School District and Roosevelt Public School have started to discuss the possibility of sharing a superintendent.
Both posted ads for new superintendents with the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) in October and hope to have the positions filled by July 2011. While Millstone seeks an administrator to lead its pre-K-8 grade district with three schools, Roosevelt seeks a chief school administrator/ principal for the Roosevelt Public School, which serves grades pre-K through six. Roosevelt sends its middle school- and high school-aged students to the East Windsor Regional School District.
When the Millstone Board of Education approached Roosevelt Public School with regard to sharing the services of a superintendent, the Roosevelt Board of Education saw possible benefits in doing so. Sharing a chief administrator could save Roosevelt taxpayers money. Sharing a superintendent could also help maintain continuity within the school environment by possibly allowing Roosevelt Public School to keep Shari Payson as a tenured principal. Payson, who once served as the superintendent/principal, took an assistant superintendent/principal position when the board appointed Ernest Donnelly to serve as an interim superintendent. Donnelly agreed to serve in the position for one year.
Roosevelt Board of Education President Natalie Warner said, “Roosevelt Public School is open to any solutions that would save money for any and all services, not just limited to sharing chief school administrators. All discussions related to personnel have occurred at the committee level or in executive session, so details are limited at this time.”
Roosevelt Public School continues to conduct a chief school administrator/principal search to ensure the best educational leader for the position, according to Warner. The application deadline is Dec. 30, with interviews taking place starting in February or March 2011, Warner said. The Roosevelt Board of Education continues to seek input from staff and the community with regard to this issue, with the next meeting scheduled Jan. 20.
The Millstone Board of Education has also approached the Upper Freehold Regional School District about the possibility of sharing its superintendent, Dick Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick said the Joint Shared Services Committee, which includes officials from Millstone and the Upper Freehold Regional school districts, asked him to share his vision for a shared superintendent arrangement.
“I am to reflect on that and share my observations with them in early January,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick also noted that he received a message about a shared superintendent arrangement with Roosevelt but has not yet had an opportunity to discuss the issue yet with Roosevelt school officials.