Superintendent Kohn Says Final Farewell to Princeton

Candace Braun

At the final Princeton Regional School Board meeting to be held during the 2003-04 school year, School Board President Anne Burns paid tribute to Superintendent Claire Sheff Kohn, who will be leaving her post on July 31. Dr. Kohn will be taking a superintendent position in the Masconomet School District in Massachusetts.

Beginning August 1, Dr. Richard Marasco will serve as interim superintendent for the district. Dr. Marasco previously served as Princeton's interim superintendent from April 1999 to January 2000.

At the Board meeting, Ms. Burns discussed the poor situation that Dr. Kohn entered into, and how she turned the district around in a matter of a few short years.

"Six years ago the Board was in deep turmoil," said Ms. Burns, recalling the district's situation before Dr. Kohn arrived.

Ms. Burns recalled how teachers had to be hired at the last minute as the new school year was starting, and how the school budget was voted down by Princeton residents.

"Confidence and morale were at an all time low," she said.

Calling the School Board a "revolving door of leadership," Ms. Burns made mention of the constant need for someone to step in and take control of a poor situation.

"The buildings were literally falling down around us," she said, remembering how desperately construction and renovation was needed on all six schools. "It was not a pleasant place."

Once the Board began a search for a new superintendent, Dr. Kohn started appearing on everyone's top ten list, said Ms. Burns.

Hired on Valentine's Day in 2000, Dr. Kohn said that her relationship with the district was often referred to as a love affair.

"I'd have to say that for four years it really was that," she said.

Dr. Kohn initiated the construction and renovation on all six schools in the district, finding the funding to make the $81.2 million project possible. She also built a solid relationship with her Board members, many of whom have stayed on the Board for the duration of Dr. Kohn's time in Princeton.

"We've not only worked well together, but we also like each other," Dr. Kohn said of the Board.

The superintendent also dealt with a teacher strike, and a lawsuit against the district by a grass turf company during the construction of a high school field. However she was able to turn things around, said Ms. Burns.

"Instead of putting out fires we've actually started to talk about education," she said.

Dr. Kohn said that she has always enjoyed working in her field, and that includes her time in Princeton: "It's exciting when I get to do things with and for children. It's why I got into this career, and its why I've stayed in it for 33 years."

The superintendent concluded her farewell by wishing the best to Princeton in the upcoming years: "Although I leave with a great deal of regret and sadness, I've also had a great ride... I wish the best of luck to my successor."