District Seeks New High School Principal After Administrative Reorganization

The Lacey Township School District is searching for a new high school principal as current Principal William Zylinski was approved by the Board of Education as a new district supervisor as part of an administrative reorganization.

“We are thrilled to have Mr. Zylinski join the new district leadership team in his role,” Superintendent Dr. Sandra Brower said.

When Brower unveiled her transition plan several months ago, she alluded to a realigning of resources, she said. The administrative reorganization would consist of two models over the course of two years.

The three goals delineated in the administrative restructuring included:

• Widening administrative resources to create assignments designed to support school improvement efforts
• Addressing the degree of separation that existed between district level supervisors and the principal particularly regarding new initiatives and implementations
• Updating job descriptions

The second model would look at teacher driven instructional leadership programming, Brower said.

“The key considerations for the administrative restructuring were to ensure that we developed and supported school leadership particularly for the role of school principal,” she said.

Meaning the district would focus on “professional collegiality” and accountability for all upcoming initiatives, she said.

“So by developing a stronger district leadership team, we believe that this new team will not only support the current programs that are in place but also help us move forward to the initiatives that we currently have on our radar,” Brower said.

New initiatives include technology, special services, comprehensive staff development, supervision of instruction particularly for the new educators evaluation model for New Jersey, and curriculum and staff development.

“The common core is here,” she said. “State assessments will change…The impact will effect students as well as teachers and school leaders.”

The administrative restructuring calls for a “full compliment of district supervision of instruction” from kindergarten through grade 12 in three areas: English-Language Arts; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM); and Humanities, which would include arts and “skills needed for readiness,” she said.

Susan Hutler, who previously served as the Secondary Education Supervisor for grades seven through 12, will serve as the District Supervisor for STEM. Michelle Amos, who served as the Department Chair for Language Arts from kindergarten to sixth grade, will now serve as District Supervisor for that area through grade 12.

Amos makes $71,306 while Hutler makes $122,400. Both have tenure.

For the 2012-2013 school year, Zylinski will be the District Supervisor for Humanities. He will continue to make $122,435 as the move is lateral, Board President Jack Martenak said.

Martenak previously said that the reorganization would make the district more “efficient.”

Through the reorganization, other job descriptions, including the three above, would be updated and better defined, Brower said.

The school board approved to revise job descriptions for the following positions: principal, assistant principal, district supervisor of instruction (K-12), supervisor of elementary instruction (K-6), department chair, athletic director (7-12) and human resources coordinator.

The major changes involved in revising those job descriptions is that they are specific to grade levels oppose to curriculum areas, Martenak said.

Amending those job descriptions according to grade levels will provide for “continuous continuity,” Brower said. 

The modifications will have virtually no impact on elementary supervisors and assistant principals and a slight impact on department chairs, which will now be covering grades seven through 12, Martenak said.

“We are looking for stronger curriculum, performance and goal settings from our assistant principals,” Brower said.

The human resources coordinator is a new position that was budgeted for, she said. Debbie Edgecomb, who currently serves as Site Administrator and Secretary to the Superintendent at $30,547, will serve in that capacity.

As a result of the administrative reorganization, the school district has a job listing posted on its website for a new high school principal. The posting has been up since Sunday, May 6. Although the board agenda says the position is “TBA,” the listing seeks a candidate available by Sunday, July 1.