Choosing a new and qualified leader for Central is currently a high priority in this school system. The Board of Education has been looking for a new superintendent since June 30, 2016 when Dr. Christina Steffner, who had been superintendent for 5 years, left the district. The first part of this process was the appointment of Dr. Johanna Ruberto, the current interim superintendent, who will be with Hunterdon Central until June 30, 2017. Recently, however, the search has picked up steam: on October 17th, the Board of Education appointed Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates (HYA), a group that specializes in matching schools with the right leader, to head off the search. The Board says that appointing a new superintendent is a top priority and that is the reason why they decided to partner with a professional firm. HYA is experienced and has nationwide resources that should help to make the process smooth, thorough, and quick. In order to choose the best candidate, the community is also encouraged to get involved in the search.
The official search process began on November 2nd. The first part of the process is to engage the sending districts. One of the key aspects of this phase is the community survey that has been placed on the Hunterdon Central website, which asks people to identify what they expect from the new superintendent. The survey was open from November 9th to November 27th, and all members of the community were strongly encouraged to fill it out so that HYA and the BOE have a strong profile for the new leader with which to work. Different focus groups and interviews will also take place to identify the needs of the community.
During this time, the recruiting process will also begin. HYA and the BOE will place ads and begin screening applicants. In trying to select a candidate, they will interview and slowly eliminate candidates until they are able to select the new superintendent of the district. During this process, candidates’ identities will not be revealed to the community for reasons of security and privacy. However, the BOE will provide periodic updates to all sending districts, as they have already begun doing. Recently, a video outlining the process of the superintendent search was posted to the school website on the page dedicated to information on the search.
Once the candidate is selected, which will hopefully be by early spring, the transition process will begin. Though the candidate may still have a contractual obligation to their previous place of employment until June 30, they will begin to meet with Dr. Ruberto and other staff members to learn about the school and the position. In addition, they will meet the community, especially students and parents. On July 1, 2017, Hunterdon Central will hire the new superintendent, so that they will be in place for the 2017-2018 school year.
The selection of a new superintendent is currently a significant issue for the school. Though Dr. Ruberto could stay another year if necessary, the BOE and the school hopes to have a new superintendent in place for next school year. This way, Hunterdon Central can secure this leadership position and begin the transition process soon, creating the best possible environment and results for the school and for the community.