FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Ross Kasun, the superintendent of schools in the Freehold Township K-8 School District, has been selected by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA) as one of the three regional 2017 Superintendents of the Year.
Kasun was named the Central Regional honoree, alongside Northern Regional honoree Adam Fried of the Harrington Park K-8 School District and Southern Regional honoree H. Major Poteat of the Winslow Township School District, according to a press release from the NJASA.
The three superintendents were introduced at the NJASA Executive Committee’s Oct. 26 meeting at the annual fall workshop in Atlantic City. Later that day, the workshop acknowledged the honorees at its general session.
The workshop is co-sponsored by the NJASA, the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials and the New Jersey School Boards Association.
NJASA Executive Director Dr. Richard G. Bozza said, “All three regional superintendents are excellent role models for all aspiring chief education officers to emulate. They are results-oriented educators who continually strive to improve the quality of education for all students they serve.”
The next step for the regional honorees will be the selection of a New Jersey candidate to participate in the National Superintendent of the Year Award, according to the press release.
A committee of NJASA past presidents will select the 2017 New Jersey Superintendent of the Year. The program, which was established in 1988 and is sponsored by Aramark, the Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company and AASA, the School Superintendents Association, is open to any superintendent, chancellor or top leader of a school system in the United States who plans to continue in the profession, according to the press release.
The selection qualifications for the state and national superintendent of the year include: meeting the needs of students, demonstrated communication strength, a commitment to professional development and growth, and significant community involvement.
At the state and regional levels, the NJASA has an additional qualification that addresses service with the county affiliate and the NJASA.
AASA will announce the National Superintendent of the Year at its annual conference on education in March. The recipient of the honor will receive a $10,000 college scholarship for a student at the high school from which the superintendent graduated.
