Two Superintendent Candidates Await Decision From Princeton

Candace Braun

After interviewing five candidates for the superintendent's position in the Princeton Regional School District last week, the school board has narrowed the field to two candidates, said Board President Anne Burns.

The two candidates, whom Ms. Burns would not name, will be interviewed again within the next few weeks. Once the final candidate is selected, representatives from the district will visit the finalist's home school district to get a better sense of how he or she would fit with the Princeton schools.

Ms. Burns said the predicted decision date for the new superintendent is still October 15: "That still seems like a reasonable time."

The chosen candidate, who would succeed former Superintendent Claire Sheff Kohn, would start in his or her position on January 1. Dr. Richard Marasco is serving as interim superintendent until a replacement is chosen.

Subhead: Closing the Gap

Next week the Princeton Regional Schools will be hosting the National Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) conference from September 30 through October 2. Students from schools nationally will stay at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton, will receive tours of Princeton University and the Educational Testing Service, and will work in small group sessions to address education changes to improve the achievement of students of color.

The keynote speaker will be Carlotta Walls LaNier, who, as a member of the "Little Rock Nine," helped to integrate Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

Formed in 1999, MSAN is a national coalition of 21 racially-integrated, suburban school districts who have come together to research the disparity in achievement between white students and students of color. The network was established to discover, develop, and implement the means to ensure high academic achievement among minority students.

Some school districts involved include Bedford, N.Y., Cambridge, Mass., Evanston, Ill., Madison, Wis., White Plains, N.Y., and Windsor, Conn.

For more information on the conference, contact Lew Goldstein, assistant superintendent for human resources, public information, and community relations for Princeton, at (609) 806-4207.