SCHOOL BOARD NOTES by Mary DiMartino
On June 23, as students relish the conclusion of the school year and the
“true” beginning of summer, Dr. Claire Sheff Kohn will depart Lawrence Township public schools
as its superintendent to embark on a new beginning of her own as superintendent of the Princeton
Regional School District.
Among its many accomplishments during Dr. Kohn’s seven-year tenure in
Lawrence, the district has secured more than $4.5 million in grants, successfully implemented a
$7.8 million science and technology referendum, implemented block scheduling at the middle
school and developed the laptop initiative for teachers.
It has also received numerous accolades for its achievements, the most recent
of which is the “Star School” designation at the middle school by the state Department of
Education (just one of 10 in New Jersey this year). Members of the Board of Education greatly
appreciate Dr. Kohn’s tireless dedication to students and staff and wish her much success on her
new endeavor.
The appointment of a superintendent is the most important decision made by any
board of education. Members of the Lawrence board regard the selection of the district’s
educational leader as its most important responsibility. Since the announcement of Dr. Kohn’s
departure, it has been focused on a comprehensive superintendent search and selection process
that consists of three phases: 1. Gathering public input and developing qualifications and
criteria for selection; 2. advertising and recruitment; and 3. interviewing and final selection.
From the start, the board has been committed to undertaking a national search
and therefore, after reviewing six proposals, appointed Jackie Roy of J. A. Roy Associates as
its search consultant. In addition to extensive recruitment experience, J. A. Roy Associates was
the board’s consultant during the 1992 search that resulted in the appointment of Dr. Kohn.
Through a community forum and interviews held during the month of April,
Jackie Roy met with various district “stakeholder” groups including principals and supervisors,
central office administrators, the Lawrence Township Education Association (which represents
teachers and other district staff), Direct Link and parents. The purpose of these meetings was
to provide public participation early in the search process, gather broad-based information on
how the educational and lay communities view the Lawrence schools and attempt to identify the
expectations of constituents for the new school leader. The most commonly mentioned strengths of
our district included Lawrence being “a caring educational community,” and “faculty and staff
are considered to be strong dedicated, caring and thoughtful.”
The most commonly mentioned challenges facing our district were facilities,
overcrowding, class size, lack of funding/resources, all of which impact the budget, program and
personnel.
The board used the data gathered from district and community representatives
to identify eight “primary” characteristics as essential in a superintendent including:
• A person of high integrity who will serve the district with honor and
distinction and who will be a strong advocate for public education.
• An articulate, well-informed educational leader who will build trusting
relationships and share a vision for educational excellence.
• A person of energy, intellect, determination and commitment in providing the
best educational program for a diverse student body.
A complete list of the characteristics and qualifications are listed in a
brochure prepared by the district as introductory material for prospective candidates and were
used to develop the advertisement that officially announced the vacancy. Interested parties were
required to submit their resumes by the application deadline of May 31.
J. A. Roy Associates will review each application and submit a short-list of
candidates for the Board to consider for interviews in mid-June. From these interviews, the
board will select finalists who will be invited back to the district for a day of meetings with
the district constituencies including staff, parents and other community representatives.
Following these “one-day marathons,” the board will make its final selection by the end of June
with the expectation that the new superintendent will begin his or her tenure in Lawrence on or
about Sept. 1.
With Dr. Kohn’s departure at the end of June and the new superintendent not
expected to arrive until September, the Board will be hiring an interim superintendent to manage
district operations through the summer. The board expects to make this appointment at its June
14th meeting.
The selection of a new superintendent is one that will have a long-term impact
on the Lawrence Township School District and on the Lawrence community. The Board of Education
greatly appreciates the valuable input provided by district staff and community members, and
looks forward to working with the new superintendent and community to build upon our strengths
and address those challenges that impact on the quality of educational program for our
students.
Mary DiMartino is vice president of the Lawrence Township Board of Education.