Search For New Superintendent Continues

The search for a new superintendent is officially under way.

With an advertisement put out last week by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the school district’s deadline for candidates to submit applications is Monday, Aug. 15, with the hopes of having a new superintendent in place for the upcoming school year.

Some residents expressed interest in hiring someone from the business sector rather than with an educational background at this month's school board meeting.

Tony Risoli recommended looking at someone with an industrial engineering background or a professional who has experience with examining the efficiencies of an organization. With the need for long-term planning and finding new ways to remain afloat financially, looking outside the box and selecting someone from the business world would bring a positive and different outlook to the school district, he said.

“Whether you like it or not, public entities have to act like a business. Your profitability is measured very simply by the report card,” Risoli said.

He then questioned why the school board is even searching for a superintendent. The board should hire Assistant Superintendent Vanessa Clark, he said.

“As a replacement for the assistant, look for someone outside the educational system who may bring a different perspective to the efficiencies of your industrial business environment, which happens to be education,” Risoli said.

Tim O’Connor agreed that Clark would be the logical solution but would also like to see the district move toward a business model.

“You can’t just shift gears and all of a sudden say we’re going to do it this way… We need change. We need to start looking at the school board as a business. But we need some continuity,” O’Connor said.

But from a legal standpoint, superintendent candidates are required to have a chief school administrators certificate, said Jack Martenak, school board president.

“Even if you wanted to, I don’t know if members of this board, and I’ll speak for myself, would want to hire someone without the experience in education,” Martenak said.

“The chief job of a chief school administrator is to be an educational leader and if they’re going to interact with parents and interact with teachers and staff and deal with special education issues and the whole gamut that goes with being superintendent, they need to have an educational background. I don’t think you get that by being in business,” he said.

That’s why the school district has a business administrator who is innovative, efficient and responsible for cost control, Martenak said.

“We’re not in the industry that produces widgets. We’re producing well-educated, well-rounded students,” Martenak said.

Board member Maureen Tirella argued that there is long-term planning in every decision the school board makes as they look years ahead to determine if programs will be efficient and sustainable.

“I think we run this business of educating Lacey Township students much better than anybody on Wall Street or any of the CEOs,” Tirella said.

As superintendent, Richard Starodub often hears about the push to hire administration from industrial management, the corporate sector, or the private sector, he said.

“Well you might want to take a look at the economy right now and see how high the unemployment rate is and see how our industry is failing,” Starodub said.

“I would be a little careful to look too hard in those areas to think the wizard is among those folks because if he or she is a wizard among those folks, they are making significantly more money than a school superintendent and this town can’t afford it,” he said.

Starodub has been superintendent for 21 years and his last day on the job is currently set for Thursday, Sept. 1.

So far, there have not been any applicants, including Clark. But school board Martenak said he expects her to apply and would be surprised if she does not.

Once applications are submitted, the school boards association will conduct candidate screenings. The school board will then manage the interview process, Martenak said.

The position does not have a set pay range as it depends on each candidate and their qualifications, Martenak said.

With enrollment estimated at 3,900, the new superintendent's pay will be capped at $165,000.

The school board will be holding a public information session on Monday, Aug. 1 regarding the search for a new superintendent. The time has yet to be finalized.