Board narrows field to 8 super candidates

BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

JAMESBURG - The borough's next superintendent of schools is expected to be hired by May and be on the job in July.

The Board of Education held a special meeting last week to review the 20 completed applications submitted by prospective superintendents, Board President Donald Peterson said. The board resolved to bring eight of those candidates in for an interview.

"We were very, very pleased with the pool," Peterson said regarding the candidates. The district actually received 40 requests for applications, and 20 were returned.

The goal is to have the new superintendent selected and appointed following the board's reorganization meeting in April, Peterson said.

The board contracted with the New Jersey School Boards Association to help with the search for a successor to Shirley Bzdewka, who is retiring. The NJSBA held a number of meetings with the board, school staff and the general public to gather information about what the community wants in a new superintendent.

"They created a criteria list and presented it to the board, which OK'd it," Peterson said, noting that the job applications sent out were based on the criteria.

The criteria calls for someone with curriculum experience and grant-writing knowledge. Larger school districts can afford to hire specific people for those kinds of tasks, but as a smaller K-8 district with just two schools, Jamesburg must rely on its few administrators to handle those roles.

"So, it falls on the administrative team," Peterson said.

Bzdewka, in addition to being superintendent, is also principal of the Grace M. Breckwedel School, which houses students in sixth through eighth grade.

The board is also seeking candidates who have administrative supervisory experience, at least to the point of having served as a principal.

With the stated goal of increasing students' test scores, the board wants someone with the experience of having created programs and ways to address deficiencies in performance on state testing.

The board is also looking for someone with experience working in a similar type of community, Peterson said, noting that "Jamesburg has a very diverse student population."

Board members were pleased with the applications that came in, he said, noting that all but one of the 20 applicants met the criteria that was established.

Of the remaining 19, six had superintendent or assistant superintendent experience, and seven had served as a principal, vice principal or assistant principal. Thirteen had doctorate degrees.

Peterson said the next step in the hiring process is the initial wave of interviews, which will take place within the next two weeks. Second interviews will follow a week later.

If the district makes its selection and reaches an agreement with the candidate by the end of April, the person could give his or her current school district the required 60 days' notice.

"They could have May and June as the obligation to the old district, and they could begin for us in July," he said.

Bzdewka has served as superintendent since July 2003, when she was promoted from her previous role as principal of the John F. Kennedy Elementary School. Her retirement takes effect at the end of June.