Bing Settles in as Bloomfield's Newest Superintendent

Jason Bing is glad to have a bright, spacious new office in Bloomfield.

So is Magnum P.I., his 7-year-old Boston Terrier.

As a carefree Magnum zipped around the room, Bing was settling in at the administration building this morning as Bloomfield's . Not even an hour into his first day in town and some of the biggest problems plaguing the district were already on his mind.

"I want to get the district to being the top in Essex County. I think it's possible," said Bing, the former superintendent of the Barnegat Township school district. "I'd be very happy if we could get into New Jersey Monthly within the first two, three years."

New Jersey Monthly magazine annually ranks the top public high schools in the state using a comprehensive methodology. In 2010, Bloomfield was ranked the 226th out of 322 New Jersey schools, dropping from 181st place in 2008.

Bing, 41, expects it will take two years to bring and Elementary schools back to surpassing Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks and said he supports the district's implementation of block scheduling for math and language arts next year.

"It just makes sense. Get into content deeper, get into critical thinking, get know your kids better," he said.

Bing also has an optimistic outlook on the pending teacher contract negotiations, one of the district's most elusive issues. He attended his first negotiation meeting last month during which he met with Bloomfield Education Association President John Shanagher.

"I think everybody is in the same boat, it's just now getting everybody on the same page," Bing said. "It seems like we all want the same thing. I think we have to focus on positive dialogue."

With and a next Wednesday, Bing knows he's walking into the district at a tipping point. He's admittedly not a "budget guy" and has no plans of modifying the budget crafted by former Interim Superintendent Catherine Mozak and Business Administrator Michael Derderian.

"If I wake up the next morning and (the budget's) passed, that's wonderful," he said. "If not, then we'll roll up our sleeves and do some work."

Calling Bloomfield a "neighborhood" school district, Bing will hold several meetings with the public next month to foster the residents have long desired. Next week, he will begin touring the 10 schools to meet with administration and will dish out informal surveys to gauge opinions.

"It should be a pretty smooth transition," he of adjusting to Bloomfield. "I think we have the many of the issues identified already."

Mozak Says Goodbye

Instituting block scheduling to target AYP schools, boosting staff development and implementing grade-level meetings are some of the accomplishments Catherine Mozak said she's proud of after serving 18 months as Bloomfield's interim superintendent.

"Nothing of importance happens except for in the classroom," said Mozak after the April 12 BOE meeting.

Mozak and Bing had been in constant communication with one another from the get-go in anticipation of her April 20 departure. She knows her successor will soon feel right at home in Bloomfield.

"The board is wonderful, the people care about their children, the principals are cooperative - I can't imagine coming into a better situation," Mozak said.

Mozak, who carries more than 20 years of experience as an educator, has already been offered another job as interim superintendent of a North Jersey school district, but was unsure as of last Tuesday if she would take the position.