Schools
GTPS Board President: Superintendent Search Not Yet Underway
The search for Thomas Seddon's replacement will be a top priority as 2012 begins.
Finding a new Gloucester Township Public Schools superintendent will be a top priority for the local Board of Education in 2012, according to Board President Linda Gilch.
"We have time, but we cannot waste time," Gilch said last week.
Superintendent Thomas Seddon announced his retirement in October. Seddon will officially end his eight-year reign as the district's top official on Sept. 1, 2012.
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Gilch said the board has yet to discuss the specifics of the superintendent job search. She predicted there would be both internal and external applications.
The New Jersey School Boards Association, a federation of school districts across New Jersey, might be used as a resource in the search, said Gilch.
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NJSBA can help recruit, review resumes and provide guides to help school board members. Gilch said one of the first steps will be to create criteria for the perfect candidate.
"We need to make sure we place the right person in the job. I am not sure what will happen. We could bring in an interim superintendent, if we do not find the right person," Gilch said.
In addition to searching for a new superintendent, the board will also be working on new contracts for the hundreds of teachers, principals and support staff in the district. All contracts are up in June.
"It is a tough, tough time with budgets and spending cuts. But we are all here for right reasons," said Gilch.
The board has already had an eventful 2011-12 year. In October, board member Edna Ceccanecchio resigned, leaving a vacancy on the nine-person board. The board received only two letters of interest for the position. At an executive session on Dec. 12, the board appointed William Fontanez to the unexpired board position. The vote was not unaminous, however, with Fontanez winning the seat by a 5-3 vote.
Fontanez, a longtime Gloucester Township resident, is Camden County undersheriff and has served as a commissioner for the Gloucester Township Housing Authority. Fontanez will serve out the remainder of Ceccanecchio's term, which ends April 2012.
School board elections will be held on April 17 across the state of New Jersey.
