Feedback Sought In South Orange-Maplewood Super Search

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - The South Orange Maplewood Board of Education is asking for the public's assistance in choosing the next superintendent for the district. The school board specifically wants help in crafting a candidate profile.

To facilitate this, the board has scheduled three public meetings to solicit feedback. The first is set for 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at the South Orange Middle School. The second is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29 at the Seth Boyden School and the last is for 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at the Maplewood Middle School.

The Board is inviting stakeholders to share their input to help define the ideal candidate profile.

In August the Board of Education hired Dr. William Librera of West Hudson Associates as the Superintendent Search Consultant to assist in the search process.

According to the school board, Librera's expertise as an educational leader, and his two decades of experience as a search consultant, both nationally and within the state of New Jersey were the primary reasons for hiring him. Librera is a former NJ Commissioner of Education and served as Principal of Columbia High School from 1980-1983, before serving as Superintendent of four different school districts, including Montclair.

The process for hiring a new super is now in the initial of four proposed phases:

• September-October 2018: Development of a Candidate Profile, utilizing inputs from community, parent, and staff. The Board plans to finalize the profile and search criteria by the end of October, and share with the community.
• November 2018: Place Advertising for Superintendent position in key publications and outlets.
• Winter 2018-2019: Candidate Screening and Interviews, including reviewing resumes, screening and narrowing candidate pool, and conducting interviews of candidates.
• Spring 2019: Final Selection of a Superintendent, including reference checks, community engagement and final selection. The Board’s goal is to appoint a new superintendent in Spring 2019.

Those who cannot attend the meetings are being asked to provide feedback via an online survey. The survey will remain open until Oct. 11.

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

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