The No. 1 quality some residents are looking for in a new superintendent for the Freehold Regional High School District is trustworthiness.
Peter Bastardo and William Librera of West Hudson Associates, the firm that is conducting a search for a new superintendent on behalf of the FRHSD Board of Education, held community meetings on June 7 and June 9. Residents had an opportunity to voice their ideas about a profile for a new superintendent.
The June 7 meeting was held at Freehold Township High School and at its peak had 12 residents present.
Bastardo is a former superintendent of the Freehold Township K-8 School District and Librera is a former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education. They provided an overview of the process that will be undertaken to find a successor to James Wasser, who will retire as the FRHSD’s superintendent on June 30.
As part of the recruitment process for a new superintendent, Librera and Bastardo want to develop a profile of qualities and strengths the district’s new leader should have. To develop this profile, meetings with the public and the district’s staff are being held. The men said they want input from all quarters about what characteristics a person must possess to move the FRHSD forward in a successful manner.
The residents present at the June 7 meeting all seemed to agree that trustworthiness is the No. 1 characteristic they want to see in the new superintendent. They also want the individual to have a solid educational background and they would prefer to hire a person who is currently the superintendent of a large district.
Some residents said the new superintendent must be a creative thinker with the budget issues that will be affecting the district in the years to come.
Others want a person who can help build a stronger FRHSD community, as opposed to what they said is the individualized feeling that currently exists among the district’s six high schools.
One concern a resident raised was about the possibility of a sitting assistant superintendent moving up into the position of superintendent.
Librera said there are few administrative positions where the experience can be seen as being equal to that of a superintendent. He added that the chances of such a move occurring are low, especially when the pool of applicants for the FRHSD position is likely to include current superintendents.
Residents expressed concern that some quality candidates might not want to come to the FRHSD following a series of events that occurred in the past few years. The events in some instances put the district in a negative public light.
Librera and Bastardo said the FRHSD is still regarded as one of the top school districts in New Jersey and would be a desirable place of employment.
They said a new superintendent is not expected to be in place before Jan. 1, 2011.
Librera said the position could be filled before then, but estimated it would be January in a best-case scenario. Due to contract terms, a current superintendent is not likely to leave his district in the middle of the school year and Librera noted that the FRHSD’s new superintendent may not be in the district until July 2011.
He said it would be best to wait for the July start date if the candidate is exactly what the district is looking for, rather than hiring a different individual just because that person is available at an earlier date.
With this time frame in mind, the Board of Education must have an interim superintendent in place by July 1. Legally, the district cannot function without a superintendent in place.
Librera said his firm will not have any role in selecting an interim superintendent. He said he advises school board members not to hire an interim superintendent who may be interested in the position on a fulltime basis.
Going over the process that will take place during the upcoming months, Librera said he hoped the board would give the goahead for the position to be advertised by the end of June. The advertisement will be made nationally through various methods and publications and would run anywhere from six to nine weeks.
During the initial candidate interviewing phase to be performed by West Hudson Associates, the names of all applicants will be kept confidential from the public and the board. It was explained that this is done so that any sitting superintendents in another district are not seen publicly applying for another job.
Once Librera and Bastardo narrow the pool of candidates there is no longer an expectation of anonymity. As the board narrows the field even more, the search firm will assist the board, provide questions to be asked of candidates, and lend other support.
Upon hearing the concerns of members of the public at the June 7 meeting, Bastardo assured the residents that the candidates who are initially presented to the board will be individuals that he and Librera are confident would be successful in the position if selected.
Librera said the firm recommends holding public interview sessions when the field has been narrowed to two or three candidates. At some point members of the public may have a chance to ask questions of the finalists for the position.
Following that process the board members would make an offer to one of the candidates.
West Hudson Associates will stay on as a mentor of sorts for the first year with the new superintendent. The purpose of this is to ensure that the relationship between the new superintendent and all involved stakeholders is flourishing.
The Freehold Regional High School District is made up of eight sending municipalities: Colts Neck, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro.
The district operates six high schools that have a current total enrollment of about 11,800 students.
The school board has nine members; two residents of Howell and one resident from each of the other seven sending municipalities.
Do you have an opinion about this issue. Letters to the editor may be submitted via email to [email protected].