Brodow Reflects on Eight Years as Superintendent

There was a day not so long ago when Millburn Schools Supt. Richard Brodow was downtown to get a sandwich for lunch.

He parked his car near the movie theater on Millburn Avenue, and three high school students stopped him to say hello when he was returning to his vehicle.

It's moments like that, and the ones he has nearly every day in Millburn-Short Hills schools, that he says he'll miss. "You treasure those moments where the kids know who you are," he said. "I care about kids and I care about how they're doing. I'm only sorry this job prevents me from spending more time in our schools knowing more kids."

Wednesday is Brodow's final day after eight years as the district's superintendent. He's retiring after a half-century in education. And the former math teacher says he always has been a teacher at the core, no matter his administrative level.

"You can't go into teaching if you don't enjoy young people... I still consider myself a teacher," he said.

He still keeps in touch with students he's known for 40 years. He cited how at his retirement dinner, students he taught early in his career and those he's known during his tenure in Millburn-Short Hills were there. He's received e-mails from former students and how the teachers in Millburn-Short Hills made a difference in their lives.

"You don't do this for the money," he said. "This is what I've always done."

Brodow is reluctant to talk about his role in Millburn being one of the top school district's in the state. For example, Millburn High School was named a top high school in the state by New Jersey Monthly in 2008, was named a national Blue Ribbon School and was named a gold medal school by U.S. News & World Report in 2007, all during Brodow's tenure.

"I don't think about (the accolades)," he said. "I like to think I made a difference and I hope in some small way I added to the success of the district."

Among his own accomplishments as superintendent, Brodow cited how the elementary school curriculum has been revamped and strengthened, including in literacy and math. There have been opportunities for all students of all abilities added at all levels, including academic support services. There's been support for students who need assistance with the high school assessment HSPA. "We have one of the finest science research programs in the state," he said.

But what he takes with him will be the kindness and support he's received from teachers, administrators, students and parents during his tenure. "That's something I will always treasure," he said. He cited the decision by high school students to dedicate this year's yearbook to him as something special to him.

It's the little things in what he does every day that he does for people, like encouraging them to do their best work or demonstrate kindness, compassion and having that reciprocated. Sometimes he has to make tough decisions, like with someone's employment. But it needs to be done in a dignified way, he said.

"(My mom) didn't have many degrees, but she had a PhD in how to live life, how to treat people," he said. "She always told me you treat people in how you want them to treat you."

That goes from the president of the Board of Education to a maintenance worker to a CEO of a corporation to someone working as a waitress, he said. "I try to treat everyone in the same way."

"While no one is perfect and I've made mistakes, I like to believe that when people speak of me they will say I was an honorable and good man who cared about kids," he said.

A Stabilizing Force

Brodow came to the Millburn School District after retiring from the Somers School District in New York. He was thinking of teaching at a New York university when he received a call from a recruiter about the Millburn position.

He didn't know much about the district but had met James Donovan, former superintendent, and thought it sounded like a good district. So he came and met with local officials.

"I felt a connection and I decided I would come here if the job was offered to me," he said.

What impressed Brodow was how people made him feel they were truly interested in education in Millburn and how they wanted to make a terrific school district better.

But Brodow came at a time when the district had gone through a number of top administrators in a short time. Hartshorn Principal Ron Castaldo, who is one of the administrators who pre-dates Brodow, said the district was coming out of a time of tremendous growth and construction. They hired a superintendent after Donovan left, but she soon left. And then the district had an interim superintendent. During that time, Castaldo said he also helped as an interim assistant superintendent too.

Brodow came in and helped bring together the administrators and stabilize the district, he said. He had a passion to teach, a passion to learn and valued education. "He wanted to be in our schools," he said. "He has a respect for the work we do."

When Brodow started, he didn't jump in and make changes. He said people address the job in different ways, and he came with no preconceived notions on what should be done. He wanted to get a sense of how the district was working, what was important, what needed to be nurtured, where the strengths were and what needed work.

He came during the summer and met with teachers, administrators and board members to get a feel for the district. After observing and talking to people for a few months, he started to assemble a team to help guide the district. That was when Maryann Doyle became assistant superintendent and  Julianna Kusz became director of special services.

But his job isn't to tell people what to do every day, he said. It's to create mutually shared goals and then give the staff the support needed to get the job done. "I've always believed you hire the best people and then you give them the tools and the support to do the job and you're there to work with them every step of the way so that they can be successful," he said. "And that is true for any position in the district."

He tells young administrators they can't be in every classroom teaching every class. But what they can do is nurture and train the staff and try to bring out the best in them. "That's what you want the teachers to do with the kids," he said. "My job is to bring out the best in the teachers and the administrators."

Staying Connected to the Schools

Each day, you're sure to see Brodow in one of Millburn's seven schools, and he said that's what the job is about. He does a lot of bureaucratic work with the papers piled on his desk, but what matters most to him is what happens in each school and in the classroom.

"You can't be removed from that," he said. "If you remove yourself from that, you don't have a good understanding of what's happening and can't speak honestly and intelligently (about education in the district)."

If he doesn't visit the schools for a length of time, he gets antsy and in a bad mood, he said. He may not show it, but he feels depressed. But when he gets a chance to speak with teachers and students he feels better.

Tough Road to Retirement

But not everything has been easy for Brodow, and he said he's made some tough decisions that not everyone has liked, including parents, teachers and the school board. Looking back on them, he is critical. But he wouldn't have done it differently. "I stand by the decisions I've made," he said.

He cited the choice to eliminate the aides in the 2009-'10 budget as one of the toughest decisions he's made as schools superintendent. He said he had prided himself that he had never had to lay off someone until that point.

And Brodow's final school year as superintendent has been a difficult one, and he'll even say it goes back to March 2008. But during the 2009-'10 school year, the high school was the center of a hazing incident that grabbed national headlines, the district lost all of its state aid making for a difficult budget season and school officials chose to redistrict three of the five elementary schools.

"It comes with the job," Brodow said. "I'm not angry at anyone and I leave fulfilled with so many more good memories than bad."

He cited his family as giving him strength during the last two years and the support of "so many people." "You don't feel sorry for yourself," he said. "I believe you're put here for a reason and you do the best job you can."

During the height of the hazing coverage, Brodow said officials were beginning to second-guess themselves because they kept asking if there was any way to prevent what happened. And it was an incident ripe for the 24-7 news cycle. But it provided a chance to respond honestly and put into place something meaningful to address the issues. School officials worked with the just-graduated seniors and the rising seniors to create a new ambassadors program that links seniors and freshmen.

But Brodow said school officials cannot guarantee nothing will ever happen again as much as everyone wants that to happen. Teens do stupid things sometimes. They're good kids, but "they're kids and sometimes they do things that are foolish or worse... Sometimes kids make mistakes. Sometimes adults make serious mistakes. That's called the human condition."

Budget seasons have become difficult in New Jersey with limited resources, and the taxpayers are overburdened, he said. And it will only get worse in the next few years. School officials considered themselves fortunate to have Business Administrator Robert Zeglarski. Brodow said he has done a great job to ensure the district is in the position to withstand the difficult times that have forced other districts to cut programs and many more people.

And the redistricting plan, although he thinks his February proposal is better, is one he needed to make work. He feels he's done that. But he also feels the redistricting debate and eventual vote, the only one he's ever been through in his career, was one of the most emotional issue he's ever faced as a superintendent. He understands why—there are young children involved with families attached to their schools—but wherever any child ends up in the district they will have a great experience.

The Future for the District, Brodow

On Thursday, the boxes Brodow started to pack in early June will be gone and James Crisfield will take over as the district's superintendent. Brodow said he'll let the objective measures speak for themselves. "I've said several times it was a terrific school district when I came here, and I leave it still a terrific school district," he said.

Castaldo said the district continues to need a stabilizing force and leadership with vision for the future. Public schools are under serious attack, and it can be hard to retain the quality education without quality leadership. He hopes Crisfield can bring that kind of leadership to keep moving forward.

As for Brodow, he said he plans to "take it easy" for awhile by traveling and spending time with his family. He may teach math in the future or do volunteer work, but his days are over as a superintendent. "I'm not going to miss the board meetings," he said. "But I will miss the people and the kids. I'll miss that terribly."