Schools

BOE Whittles Superintendent Search Down to One

After a months-long search, "one strong candidate has emerged," according to Board Member Matt Simeone.

After months of planning, consultations and interviews, the board of education has narrowed its search for a new superintendent down to a single candidate.

Board Member Matthew Simeone explained Tuesday the board—in collaboration with search firm West Hudson Associates—whittled down its initial pool of candidates to six in late January. Those six were brought in for interviews a few weeks ago, and from there the pool was dropped to a group of three, he said. And from that, “one strong candidate has emerged.”

Simeone wouldn’t say who the candidate was or reveal any identifying details—since he or she is currently employed somewhere else—but said the candidate matches up extremely well with the profile crafted by the board, which was based on community outreach, input from faculty, and the opinions of the board members themselves.

The district will now vet the remaining candidate through background checks, evaluations and additional interviews, Simeone said.

He did not provide a target date for hiring a candidate, explaining the process is somewhat affected by township council’s recent decision to move the school board election to November.

However, “that doesn’t prevent us from making this decision,” he added.

If the top candidate is for whatever reason discounted through the vetting process, Simeone said the board has three options: restart the search process, hire an interim superintendent, or a combination of the two.

Superintendent John Bach will end his five-year tenure as superintendent at the end of the 2012 school year.

Bach is resigning as a result of the cap on superintendent salaries imposed by Gov. Chris Christie, which restricts superintendents from earning more than the governor’s salary of $175,000.


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