Charles B. Sampson, superintendent of schools in the Freehold Regional High School District, has been named the 2017 Monmouth County Superintendent of the Year by the Monmouth County Superintendents Round Table.
“It is an honor to be named Monmouth County Superintendent of the Year by my peers. I am proud to work alongside such a talented group of superintendents in Monmouth County,” Sampson said.
“This honor not only recognizes my work in the district, but acknowledges the fantastic team that makes the Freehold Regional High School District a lighthouse district. I am very fortunate our district has been able to accomplish so much thanks to a strong team of dedicated individuals.
“I believe this is a reflection of the entire school system and I am proud of the work of everyone in the system. To me, when you win individual awards like that as a superintendent, it is always a much broader reflection in a positive way on your school system,” he said.
Sampson was appointed superintendent in June 2011, according to a press release. He began his career as a social studies instructor at Livingston High School, eventually moving into administrative positions including social studies supervisor, assistant principal and high school principal before becoming a superintendent.
Sampson also serves as an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, where he instructs classes on change leadership, supervision and ethical decision making, according to the press release.
Sampson is an executive officer of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, a network of approximately 100 high-performing New Jersey school districts dedicated to quality education for all.
In 2015, Gov. Chris Christie and Education Commissioner David Hespe appointed Sampson to the New Jersey Common Core Standards Review Committee.
The Freehold Regional High School District is New Jersey’s largest regional high school district, encompassing more than 200 square miles of western Monmouth County. The district serves 11,107 students from eight sending municipalities in six high schools.
“Over the past six years, we have done a phenomenal job here of increasing opportunities with accompanying support for a significant number of students in this school system,” Sampson said.
“I think our work is still just beginning here. June 6 marked the start of my seventh year here and I feel like we have made incredible strides for our children in that time and we are about to launch the next strategic plan in the fall and I am really excited about the direction we are headed there.
“I think we are recognizing as a school system that we need to be much more flexible because the pace of change is so intense now that we need to make sure we are creating a system that serves children for the future and I am excited about that work,” he said.
