HOPEWELL VALLEY: Toll Gate’s Smith in line for top job at high school 

By Frank Mustac, Special Writer
Toll Gate Grammar School principal Tana Smith has been recommended to become the next principal of Hopewell Valley Central High School.
District Superintendent Thomas Smith will formally make his recommendation to the Board of Education at the board’s meeting on Monday, June 20. Ms. Smith is not related to the Superintendent Smith.
If approved by the board, Ms. Smith will take over for principal Michael Daher, who is retiring, but will remain in his post until the first week of August.
In the fall of 2015, Mr. Daher originally said he would retire at end of December, but changed his plan in early December, in part, to give Hopewell Valley Regional district officials time to find a new principal and “create a smooth transition.”
Board of Education President Lisa Wolff said Ms. Smith is an “outstanding choice” for high school principal.
“My preference is always to promote from within if we have the talent,” Ms. Wolff said by email. “Tana not only has experience as an outstanding principal, but also the fact she is familiar with the district means that she will be up to speed quickly.”
The superintendent said Ms. Smith has been employed with the Hopewell Valley Regional School District since 2005 and has served as vice principal at Timberlane Middle School prior to her tenure as principal at Toll Gate. She also supervised the district mathematics program and taught high school math.
“These experiences provide an excellent foundation to understand the complexities of leading a high-performing school like Central High School,” the superintendent said, saying he is making his recommendation after a “thorough search process.”
A tentative timeline has been set to search for a new principal at Toll Gate, the superintendent said.
That timeline, which will be sent to parents of Toll Gate students, includes a scheduled meeting for Toll Gate faculty to provide input to school district administrators, and a survey for the Toll Gate parent community.
At the end of June, applications from candidates for the Toll Gate Grammar School principal position will be reviewed, and preparation work for interviews will commence. In early July, candidates will be interviewed and finalists selected. The superintendent will interview finalists in mid-July, then make his recommendation to the Board of Education on July 18. 