BOE looks to fill new gaps
By: Jessica Beym
The district is looking to hire two new people now that the top two administrators at the Cranbury School have given notice they are leaving.
The Board of Education on Monday accepted the resignation of Business Administrator Brian DeLucia. He will leave the district after five years on Oct. 31.
Chief School Administrator Carol Malouf, who has been with the district since 1978, told the Board of Education on June 19 that she would retire at the end of June 2007.
Mr. DeLucia’s annual salary of $111,132 for the 2006-2007 school year was approved by the Board of Education on June 19. He will only be paid for the time he serves. Ms. Malouf will make $148,830 this year.
During an executive session discussion on Tuesday, the Board of Education decided it would immediately begin searching for a candidate to fill the business administrator position, Mr. DeLucia said Wednesday.
Mr. DeLucia, who lives in Toms River, said he is leaving to become the business administrator and board secretary for the Piscataway school district.
"It’s the same position, but just on a much bigger scale," Mr. DeLucia said Wednesday.
The district has not yet decided how it will conduct the search and fill Ms. Malouf’s job.
Ms. Malouf started at Cranbury School in 1978 as an English teacher for grades six, seven and eight. She became the vice principal in 1989 and moved on to her current position in 2001.
"The board will do a search to fill my position," Ms. Malouf said. "I hope to have someone in here before I leave. As for (Mr. DeLucia), we hope to have someone in within a month. If we need to, we will hire an interim in between."
Board President Joan Rue said the district would be putting together a preliminary budget before Mr. DeLucia leaves so the next business administrator is not left empty-handed and so the board can assess where it’s financial strengths and weaknesses are.
"We’re looking for someone who is knowledgeable about the budget process and has worked on our type of budget," Ms. Rue said. "I think that would be most helpful for us. We don’t need someone with a huge amount of experience with capital projects right now. We want someone who is familiar with the state’s rules and (regulations) of how to apply for permits."
The search for a new chief school administrator may be more difficult, Ms. Rue said. The board plans to involve the teachers and the community when discussing the qualities they hope the next candidate will have, she said. The district might also seek help from the New Jersey School Boards Association.
"Last time, we made use of outside groups to help with the search," Ms. Rue said. "The community’s feedback is important though. We’d like to hear what the parents and teachers think we need in order to continue to be successful."