Moorestown Superintendent Search Down to 4

The search for Moorestown's next superintendent is down to four names.

Following the sudden resignation of former superintendent Brian Betze in August, the district received approximately 30 applications, according to Board of Education President Don Mishler, who also sits on the board's search committee.

They've since reduced the number to four candidates, who the search committee will interview over the next month.

Mishler didn't provide specifics, but said the remaining candidates are all retired former superintendents from school districts similar to Moorestown—which is in keeping with the board's plan to hire an interim head of school.

The board settled on the idea of hiring an interim rather than a permanent superintendent due largely to the fact that the pool of available candidates for the latter is extremely small. 

As for what the search committee will be looking for in its interviews, Mishler said, "We're looking for a commitment to the effort this takes. We don't want someone who's going to coast ... We want someone we believe fits with our existing management team."

The interim superintendent will be more of a "caretaker"—someone capable of guiding the district and keeping it on the course that's already been set—rather than a gamechanger, Mishler added. 

Business administrator Lynn Shugars has been serving as acting superintendent since Betze's departure.

Mishler said the search committee plans to whittle the candidates down even further and bring the remaining two or three in for interviews with the full board.

They hope to have someone in place by January. The interim superintendent's term is yet to be determined, but Mishler said they would remain on until at least the start of the 2014-15 school year, "if not longer."