Parents Speak Out About Superintendent Search

South Brunswick parents are voicing their concerns about the future of the school district as the search continues to replace current Superintendent Gary McCartney, who is leaving the district at the end of the school year.

The search for Dr. McCartney's replacement is being conducted by the New Jersey School Boards Association, which has many parents worried in the wake of a controversy that has erupted over a recent hire in Highland Park. Specific issues among township parents surround the hiring of Highland Park Superintendent Timothy Capone, who had one year of experience as a principal in Delaware before he was reassigned back to district offices, according to a report on nj.com.

"We don't want to come across as panic stricken, but given that the NJSBA was the firm that hired Capone, everybody is questioning how they could fail to recognize his odd work experience," said resident Lisa Rodgers, who was among a group of township parents who met this week to outline the concerns and priorities for the superintendent search to present to the Board of Education. "Capone had no budgetary experience and came from a district where he spent less than a year on the job before he was demoted."

Rodgers said it's vital to parents in South Brunswick that the right kind of educator is chosen for the job, similar to former South Brunswick Superintendent Sam Stewart, who Dr. McCartney replaced in 2004.

"With all the changes in education from the common core standards and data driven decisions, we're concerned we won't get the type of superintendent we want. We want someone who is focused on the individual needs of every child, who will continue the curriculum of evidence-based research," Rodgers said. "A lot of people are pushing standardization without evidence-based research. They're pursuing trickle down reform, and we don't want that here. We have a diverse group of individuals in this township and we have a diverse curriculum. We don't want to lose that."

Rodgers pointed to Highland Park as a district that is doubling instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic at an early age while cutting art and music, she said. 

Like Capone, new Montclair Superintendent Penny MacCormack is a graduate of the Broad Academy, which hosts unaccredited corporate-style training sessions. The hiring of MacCormack has also come under fire by parents and educators in Montclair, according to nj.com. 

Funded by billionaire real estate mogul Eli Broad, the academy recruits military leaders, business executives and school administrators, including New Jersey Education Commissioner Chris Cerf, according to the Washington Post.

"They're trying to pull more people from the business world to get them into school districts as a way to push more charter schools," Rodgers said. "We don't want anyone associated with the Broad Academy like Capone. Because once they're in here, then the state gains control. We want to make sure we get someone who offers stability, not someone who will be here for a few years before moving on to the next job."

Tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 8), the South Brunswick Board of Education will hold a public input session at Crossroads North Middle School to set criteria for the background, training and experience sought for the new superintendent of schools. Board members have publicly pledged to make sure the right person is chosen for the job.

"One of the principle tasks of a school board in New Jersey is to hire a superintendent and this board takes that task seriously," Board President Stephen Parker told the South Brunswick Post.

Rodgers noted that the board must make the best hire in the interest of South Brunswick students, while expressing concerns about the political forces that could drive the NJSBA's search.

"This is the most important job the Board of Education has because it drives everything. Good schools equals a good town," she said. "But there are a lot of parents very concerned about the push from Trenton."

The public information session will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Crossroads North Middle School, located at 635 Georges Road in Monmouth Junction.