What qualities and characteristics should the next superintendent of schools in the East Windsor Regional School District possess?
That’s the question school district officials hope to answer with some input from East Windsor and Hightstown residents at a special forum set for Oct. 1 at Hightstown High School.
The public forum, which will take place from 7-9 p.m. at the high school, is intended to gather input from parents and other members of the community about the qualities they would like to see in the next superintendent of schools.
Consultant William Librera will be at the public forum to listen to attendees. His firm, West Hudson Associates, has been hired to lead the superintendent search.
Librera will be on hand all day Oct. 1 to meet with administrators, principals, supervisors, teachers, support staff, PTA/PTO representatives and Board of Education members to get feedback on the qualities they seek in the new leader.
The district has been without a permanent superintendent since Aug. 31, when the resignation of Richard Katz, the former superintendent, took effect. Assistant Superintendent Michael Dzwonar is serving as the acting superintendent of schools.
Based on feedback from all of the stakeholders at the Oct. 1 sessions, Librera will develop a profile of the skills and attributes the new superintendent of schools should possess, which in turn will guide the candidate interview process.
Advertisements have been placed in newspapers, professional journals such as Education Week and on education-oriented websites. The advertisements will run for several weeks.
There will be several rounds of interviews with prospective superintendents. The first round is expected to take place in early November and will involve an initial interview screening with every candidate who fits the stakeholder profile.
As many as five candidates may be invited for interviews with a school board committee in late November, continuing into December. An additional round of interviews will be scheduled for the finalists.
