Residents weigh in on search for new superintendent
Board of Ed. urged to keep parents involved with search process
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer
Over 50 residents attended the special meeting held by the Woodbridge Township Board of Education last week to relay their concerns and provide input on the search for a new superintendent.

"We want your point of view on what education and business background that you think the superintendent should have," said board President Brian Molnar at the meeting May 8, which was held at Mawbey Street School No. 1.

Superintendent Vincent Smith, who became superintendent in December 2002, officially accepted a job as superintendent for the Point Pleasant School District last week and will officially announce his resignation from the Woodbridge Township School District at the Board of Education meeting May 15.

The public said they would like to see a member of the public as part of the superintendent search committee.

Molnar announced that he appointed board members Diane Acquisto, Judy Leidner and George Yuhasz to the superintendent committee.

"We understand that [records] need to be kept confidential," said Jacki Cheslow, who is co-president of the Parent Teacher Organization at Colonia High School. "We are asking to not close and not put the public outside, which has occurred in the past. The [member of the public] will be more than willing to keep that information confidential."

Molnar said he talked with members of the Cranford School District, who are going through a superintendent search of their own.

"We want the public involved, but they found that having too many people, from the parents to the business owners, was too clumsy," he said. "We need to figure out a way to work together."

Molnar said the board wants to take input from the community and conduct a survey with the parents and students. Surveys will also be put on the school Web site, www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us.

"We will be putting advertisements in the newspaper," he said.

Members of the public said they would also like to see a doctoral degree as a mandatory criterion for the next superintendent. In February 2001, when Kenneth Kuchtyak became superintendent, the wording in the job description for the superintendent was changed from mandatory doctorate degree to preferred doctorate degree.

"I believe the philosophy of a person who finishes and receives a grueling [doctoral] degree is somebody who can finish something that they start," said Peter Ballotta, who sat on the Board of Education in the mid-'90s.

Cheslow added that the public's desire for a doctoral degree for the next superintendent was in no way disparaging the work that Smith did for the school district.

Smith did not have a doctoral degree, but had received a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in public administration.

"We fought tooth and nail against Smith's appointment as superintendent because he did not have a [doctoral] degree, but for five years we worked close together on the bond referendums and the budgets," she said. "If a [doctoral] degree is required, then the school district will get candidates with [doctoral] degrees."

The public also said they would like to see the next superintendent have classroom and finance experience.

Ellen Ghiano said the public is looking for Mary Poppins, who is "practically perfect in every way." Ghiano's comment brought laughter to the crowd.

"We need a superintendent that can take our children and mold them into wonderful people," she said.

Other residents suggested that searches be done inside and outside the school district for a superintendent, and hiring a project management professional to help the board in its search.

As for the timeline for the superintendent search, Leidner said the board is stuck between a rock and a hard place when Smith leaves in June.

"We know that we could have an interim superintendent for years," she said.

Molnar added that the board does not want to "rush and settle."

A survey will be sent to parents and students within the next two weeks, and an advertisement for a superintendent will go into the newspaper.