By Donald Gilpin

Ratcheting up their search for a permanent leader, the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE) Search Committee was set to meet on Wednesday, September 18 with two lead search consultants from School Leadership LLC, a Long Island-based firm hired last week.

Four firms were interviewed by an ad hoc BOE committee, and the BOE noted that School Leadership, which has led many superintendent searches for school districts in the New York metropolitan area over the past 20 years, “had the best combination of search experience as well as familiarity with the Princeton Public Schools.”

One of the lead consultants, Martin Brooks, who has served as superintendent in several Long Island communities, led the Tri-State Consortium, an alliance of public school districts of which Princeton is a member, for 16 years, and in that time he visited Princeton five times.

Rina Beder, who has worked as an attorney and was a board of education member, serving stints as president and vice president, in Mamaroneck, N.Y., for six years, will be co-lead consultant as the Princeton BOE pursues its search for a new superintendent.

The Princeton Board noted that Brooks’ “vast knowledge of and experience with the district will be helpful as Dr. Brooks and Ms. Beder work to recruit potential candidates” and also emphasized the value of Brooks’ and Beder’s “deep knowledge of peer districts in the Northeast (including New York and New Jersey) as they reach out to potential candidates.”

“We believe Marty and Rina know our district and have the experience to lead the search for our next superintendent,” said BOE Vice President Betsy Baglio, who is head of the district’s search committee.

In a press release the PPS noted that Brooks’ familiarity with the district was evident throughout his interview and “he is well-known and well respected both within the district and throughout the region.”

At last week’s BOE meeting Baglio stated that she was especially pleased that Brooks and Beder would soon be spending two days in Princeton conducting focus groups with stakeholders.

A web page dedicated to the superintendent search will launch soon on the PPS website, and the district will be sharing information about how students, staff, parents, and community members can participate in the focus groups.

An update on the entire process will be provided at the next BOE meeting on September 24, if not before.

The search process is expected to continue into the winter with a new superintendent chosen, along with required approval of the contract from the executive county superintendent, in time for the March 2025 BOE meeting.

The current Board will not take action on approval of the next superintendent. The appointment must be made by the 2025 Board.

Two members of the current 10-member BOE, Baglio and Brian McDonald, will be stepping down at the end of this year, and a third member, Mara Franceschi, is running for reelection in November along with five new candidates on the ballot for three available positions.

Interim Superintendent Kathie Foster will continue to lead the district through June 2025, with the new superintendent succeeding her on July 1.