By Andrew Martins
Staff Writer
PLUMSTED – Gerald North, a former superintendent in the Plumsted Township School District, is returning to an administrative position in the district.
North will return in April as an assistant superintendent, before he becomes the superintendent on July 1.
Board of Education members voted unanimously on Feb. 10 to rehire North, who served as Plumsted’s superintendent from 2005-07.
“It is going to take everybody in this room, the staff that is not here, and much of the community for us to bond cohesively so we can return to the essence of what the New Egypt brand was,” North said. “That brand was a very, very high expectation for every one of our kids. I will guarantee you one thing. Your children will be the best interest in my heart all the time. Those of you who don’t know me will get to know me, because I will know your kids.”
The district’s previous superintendent, Karen Jones, resigned in 2014 to become the assistant superintendent in the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District in Monmouth County.
Since January 2015, Stephanie Bilenker has been serving as the district’s interim superintendent.
“We were extremely fortunate and blessed to have found such a strong instructional leader (Bilenker) with a wealth of knowledge of all aspects of running a school district, as well as one who put students first,” board President Sandra Soles said.
According to the board, Bilenker will remain as Plumsted’s superintendent until the end of the 2015-16 school year.
North will rejoin the district on April 12 as an assistant superintendent and remain in that position until June 30. On July 1, North will begin serving as superintendent with a contract that runs until July 1, 2020. Throughout his contract with the district, North will be paid a $147,500 annual salary.
North is currently the superintendent of the Keansburg School District in Monmouth County. He has held that position since 2011.
One member of the public asked the board members if they were aware that in March 2010, North was charged with driving while intoxicated and pleaded guilty to that charge. North was working as the principal of Marlboro High School in Monmouth County at the time and resigned from that position several weeks after he was charged with DWI.
“How can you sit there, all of you, and put this person in charge to run your school district while knowing he is going to be the face of the district?” Robert Czarneski asked. “All these kids are going to look to him and say, ‘this is a great role model.’ ”
Later, Czarneski told Greater Media Newspapers that although he does not live in Plumsted, he has friends in the district who have children in the schools. He said an individual’s background is an important consideration in a hire.
Although Czarneski is the president of the Jamesburg School District Board of Education in Middlesex County, he told Greater Media Newspapers that he attended the meeting in Plumsted as a concerned citizen and not as a representative of his school board.
In response to Czarneski, board member Garrett Midgett said, “We were all aware of (the DWI). It was a long time ago and everybody deserves a second chance.”
Township Committeeman Herbert Marinari, who attended the meeting, congratulated the board for selecting a superintendent and North upon his return to the district.
“I have had the honor to work with Mr. North. I only wish I could again,” said Marinari, who served on the school board before joining the municipal governing body. “[North] has a lot of friends here. He is part of this district and always will be a part of this district. I thank [him] for giving us a chance again.”
Board members said North and one other individual were the final candidates interviewed for the position.
