District To Fill Board, Curriculum Coordinator Vacancies

As the school year approaches, the Barnegat Township Board of Education is looking to fill two vacancies following the recent resignations of an administrator and a member of the board itself.

Board member Elaine Taylor resigned from her position for personal reasons, said board president Lisa Becker.

“Her other time constraints at home put demands on her, and she can’t devote the time that she feels the district deserves,” Becker said.

The board will look to fill the post in the same way it did when member Kevin Scully resigned last year, she said. A call for applicants to fill the unexpired term has been posted to the district website, and board administrator Dean Allison will accept applicants’ letters and resumes through Aug. 31, said Becker.

Board members will meet with applicants at a special meeting during the first week of September, she said, and will likely decide on their pick then.

The district also accepted the resignation of curriculum coordinator Karen McKeon on Aug. 15, said Barnegat superintendent Karen Wood.

McKeon is leaving to take a position with the Long Beach Township Consolidated School District, Wood said.

“We’re very grateful for all the work she’s done here in Barnegat, and we’re going to miss her quite a bit,” said Wood. At the moment, the district is seeking an interim director of curriculum, until the proper candidate for the permanent position can be found.

There have been a number of recent administrative changes within the schools, said Wood, who herself began heading the district in July. When it comes to the new hire, the board has an eye on future stability.

“We’re really hoping to make a decision now to keep us going for the long term,” Wood said.

The board also filled one new district position this week with the hiring of a guidance counselor at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School.

Previously, counselors from other schools shared duties to cover Donahue, said Becker, and the school also had a social worker. But with vacancies elsewhere in the district, and new mandates from the state to combat bullying, the new full-time position was important, said Wood.

Certified school counselor Kristen Ducker will fill the position beginning Sept. 1, according to the board, at a salary of $49,173.

Other new hires approved by the district this week were all to fill vacant positions, Wood said.

Interested in applying to fill the school board vacancy? Here are the requirements, as per the district site:

• Be able to read and write
• Hold U.S. citizenship and one year's residency in the school district
• Be registered to vote in the district as of election day
• Have no interest in any contract with, or claim against the board
• Not hold office as mayor, or member of the municipal governing body or, in the case of county school district, the county governing body
• Not simultaneously hold two elective offices

Any interested Barnegat Township residents should submit a letter of interest and a resume to Dean Allison, Business Administrator/Board Secretary at Barnegat Township School District, 550 Barnegat Blvd., Barnegat NJ 08005 no later than Aug. 31.