Moorestown Township Public Schools started their search for an interim superintendent.
The school district is seeking an interim superintendent to start on or before Jan. 1.
It is accepting applications until Oct. 9.
The Board of Education had a special meeting on Aug. 25 that approved John Fraser as the superintendent search consultant. Business Administrator Lynn Sugars was also appointed as the acting superintendent until an interim is found.
In late July, it was announced that previous superintendent Timothy J. Rehm would resign effective Oct. 26. At the next BOE meeting, on Aug. 11, he announced he would be leaving at the end of the month, two months earlier than expected.
Rehm is the third superintendent who has left the school district within the past three years. The first was the retirement of John Bach in 2012 after five years with MTPS and the sudden resignation of Brian Betze in 2013.
The BOE held a special meeting on Aug. 25 appointing Fraser as the superintendent search consultant at a rate of $500 per day, not to exceed $5,900, and Shugars as acting superintendent. Shugars was acting superintendent from August 2013 to February 2014 after Betze resigned.
“The BOE is extremely grateful to Mrs. Shugars’ dedication and diligent efforts for our district. We are very lucky to have Mrs. Shugars’ competence and experience handling the role to give us the time to interview for an interim superintendent,” BOE President Kathy Goldenberg said.
MTPS has added a document for interested applicants to its website that describes the district, what it is looking for in a candidate and where to send applications.
“(We’re looking for) an experienced educational leader that will provide insight, guidance and steadiness to the district during the search for a permanent replacement,” Shugars said.
“Moorestown Township is a wonderful community that is supportive of its high achieving school system. Our district is comprised of a team of hardworking teachers, staff members, administrators and BOE members that work very hard to produce students who are quite successful leading up to and following their graduation. Moorestown schools are fortunate to have an involved parent population, as well as many support organizations … that each contribute their time and energies to help create a supportive and successful school community for each and every student,” Goldenberg said.
Candidates must hold or be eligible for a New Jersey School Administrator’s Certificate; be able to develop a defined vision with innovative ideas to lead the district forward with the priority of advancing student achievement; be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of current issues in education; must have effective interpersonal and communication skills and be willing to devote the time necessary to listen to the district’s stakeholders; demonstrate effective leadership and mentoring skills, including the ability to collaborate effectively with the district’s stakeholders; and administrative experience as a superintendent or assistant superintendent is preferred.
The BOE will select and appoint the interim superintendent.
“The board is very proactive with regard to filling this position as soon as possible, but also very insistent on identifying the right person who can step into the position seamlessly,” Fraser said.
The candidate must be able to start in the position of interim superintendent no later than Jan. 1. Salary is competitive. The consideration of candidates will begin in October.
The full information about applying to be the MTPS interim superintendent can be found at www.mtps.com under District News & Announcements.
