More than 80 people – residents, parents, staff members and even a handful of children – turned out for a special “meet and greet” with Ross Kasun, the Lawrence Township School District’s new superintendent of schools, at the Lawrence High School commons on Aug. 29.
For Kasun, it was a chance to meet community members and find out what is on their minds. He had already taken a tour of Lawrence Township and the seven public schools earlier in the week, riding on a school bus with newly hired teachers.
Kasun also spent the week meeting with administrators. He said he wants to learn more about the school district and how he can help administrators and staff members realize their hopes and dreams for the district.
After school opens next week, Kasun said, it is his plan to visit each school and meet with the staff so they can place a face with a name. He also plans to attend back to school night at each school.
“I want to learn as much as I can from the community,” he said.
Kasun was appointed to the district’s top administrative post on Aug. 8. He succeeds Crystal Edwards, who retired in March. Kasun was selected from among a field of 41 applicants.
The new superintendent most recently held the post of superintendent of schools in the Freehold Township K-8 School District. He served in that position for seven years.
Prior to his arrival in Freehold Township, Kasun was the superintendent of schools in the Colts Neck K-8 School District and the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the Summit School District.
He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher 23 years ago. He was a principal in the South Orange-Maplewood and Millburn school districts.
Over the years, he has received numerous honors and recognition professionally, including being chosen as the 2017 Superintendent of the Year by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.
