Internship Leads Chatham Native To Principal Job 25 years Later

CHATHAM, NJ - Jason Killian didn't realize that an internship at the ECLC school in Chatham would set him on the path to the future, but in hindsight, the connections the principal has to the private nonprofit school for developmentally disabled students are almost too strong to resist.

“My father attended high school there when the ECLC building housed Chatham High School, and my wife, Cathy, went to middle school there when it housed Chatham Middle School,” Killian said. “I guess it was destined to be home for me.”

His two younger twin brothers, Chris and Nick, are ECLC graduates and have jobs through ECLC’s employment affiliate, Community Personnel Services (CPS). They also take classes at ECLC’s alumni night school, the Diane Gagliardi Enrichment Program, and some evenings they attend the adult P.R.I.D.E. program.

“I have a long history with ECLC. I saw and witnessed everything firsthand, what it did for my brothers as students and what it continues to do for them to this day,” said Killian. “They have a busier social life than I do.”

Killian became principal of the in July after the retirement of Diane Gagliardi. Killian had joined the school as an assistant principal in 2016 after working as a special-education teacher and administrator in public schools in Union and Rutherford.

Killian said that growing up in Chatham with two younger, twin brothers with disabilities had always sparked the idea of entering the field of education.

"What really solidified my decision to go into teaching was a Chatham High School internship with ECLC," Killian said. "It was this opportunity that made me realize that this was my calling. What makes this especially interesting is the fact that my younger brothers attended ECLC at the same time as my internship."

Killian went on to earn a bachelor’s degree and 'Teacher of the Handicapped' certification from Kean University, as well as my Masters Degree in Educational Administration.

Killian said that the majority of his career has been spent in public schools and what amazed him most about his return to ECLC was witnessing the amount of dedication, support, knowledge, and compassion the staff have for the students, families, and each other.

"It truly is like nothing else I have ever seen before in any of the 16 school buildings I have been involved with in the past," Killian said. "Teachers and staff are constantly brainstorming, planning activities, collaborating, and sharing ideas and resources with one another."

Killian said that it was eye opening to see how high teachers, related services providers, and support staff "raise the bar" for every one of the students in terms of meeting academic, social, and behavioral goals.

Killian said that as principal he has both short and long term goals:

Short Term Goals

• Continue to foster the collaboration between the school and families
• Continue our parent workshops with expert speakers that are open to the entire community – and hold even more
• We have an excellent work experience program for our older students. I want to expand the duration of time our students experience outside job experiences.
• Keep increasing the number and variety of businesses our students experience job sampling

Long Term Goals

• We are always researching "best practices" in special education and coming up with ideas on how to create innovative programs to support our students.
• Keep the brainstorming and energy going

With all of that on his plate, Killian may have precious little free time and he spends most of that with his family in New Providence.

"As ironic as it might sound after spending a day in school with children; I often find myself unwinding the most when I’m with my own four children and wife," Killian said. "Whether it’s playing baseball with my two boys, taking the girls fishing, riding bikes, or going for a walk around the block with the family after supper. These are the things that help me to relax and clear my mind."

(Photo courtesy of Jason Killian)

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