School board unanimously approves appointment of Samuel B. Stewart
By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY As expected, the district’s Board of Education unanimously approved Samuel B. Stewart as interim superintendent of schools for the coming school year during Tuesday’s board meeting, with board members Wei-Ching Lin and Saul Rubinstein not present.
"I have been extremely impressed by his drive and willingness to not just occupy the seat, but to continue on our trend of excellence here in Montgomery," said board President David Pettit.
Mr. Stewart’s tenure will run from Aug. 14 to June 30 with a salary of $15,000 per month.
In a Wednesday interview, Mr. Stewart said, "One of the things I have learned in my life is that a superintendent does not do anything by himself. I want to do a lot of listening and learning about Montgomery, to find out what the options are to help the students do better. That’s the way I work."
He previously held a one-year interim superintendent position in the Randolph school district, and was the superintendent for 11 years in South Brunswick.
A resident of Kingston, Mr. Stewart explained that his "top priority" during his time in Montgomery will be to "focus on the 2006-2007 school year and make sure the students have the very best possible year they can.
"This is an interim year in the life of the district, but it’s also some child’s fifth-grade year, and I want to make sure this can be the best possible year we can have. There is no time off in a child’s education."
He said teaching is a "life-building vocation," adding, "there is a sense of urgency with what we do, but when you work with children, the last thing you want to do is bring that anxiety to them."
Mr. Stewart said he is used to challenges.
During his 11 years in South Brunswick, the district built about $150 million in new school buildings.
And during his time in Randolph, he had a number of hurdles to overcome. When he began, he said, there were a number of positions unfilled and the superintendent had just left suddenly. Teacher negotiations had been stalled as well, and the budget had been defeated the previous year.
"I have had a lot of experience trying to build a budget that is understandable and supported by the community," he said. "In order to do the best work for the children, a school has to have support from the community. Schools are in the service business and the schools are owned by the community."
He added, "An organization is really about relationships with people. We have to make sure everybody is working together to achieve the goals."
Mr. Stewart said the world is rapidly changing and "most of the jobs our young people will be getting haven’t even been invented yet."
Working with many people to try and find success can sometimes cause friction, he said. Despite that, there can be a happy medium.
"I want to try to have differences without being disagreeable," he explained.
Despite all of his experience, Mr. Stewart said he still has a lot to learn.
"I won’t pretend to know all of the different issues in Montgomery," he said. "I’ll have to get in and learn as fast as I can."
Mr. Stewart said he has been impressed by the people in the Montgomery district with whom he will soon be working.
"I was very impressed with the board members," he said. "They really seem to be a bright, caring group of people."
Mr. Stewart said he would be in the district next week and would be meeting with outgoing Superintendent Stuart Schnur, who will be leaving the district Aug. 31, to discuss the future.
"I think (the board) made a good choice for an interim," said Montgomery resident Jeff Scott, who was present at Tuesday’s board meeting. He said he worked with Mr. Stewart in the South Brunswick school district for about 10 years.
Board member Andrea Bradley said, "He is very well read. He is very current on a lot of the things our district is undertaking. Dr. Stewart is not someone who has to figure out how to get in step. He already is."
Mr. Pettit said the board would begin a new search for a permanent superintendent between October and January, hoping to make a selection by next summer.
In other business, board member Reginald Luke, who is chairman of the Negotiations Committee, said the panel is close to completing discussions with teachers on a new contract.
He indicated there were only some "last-minute formalities to take care of."