Content area
Full text
"The position of CEO superintendent is more than a vocation. It is a calling." This quotation, from the 2005 book The Superintendent as CEO, sums up the journey I've taken from a little girl who played school in her home basement to the woman who now is superintendent of a 3,500-student school district in a diverse southern New Jersey community.
For me, this wasn't just a calling to the position in general but to Galloway in particular. Since the district, which serves preschool through 8th grade, operates only one middle school, my years as middle school principal gave me familiarity with the entire community. This connection was advantageous, even a blessing, in my first year, but it also carried some disadvantages.
When the board of education voted in May 2010 to appoint me as superintendent, the response from the audience at the meeting was quite positive. Conversely, the timing of my appointment came in the midst of one of the most difficult periods in the history of public education in New Jersey. Some people who know me well jokingly commented, "Should I be offering congratulations or condolences?"
Due to significant reductions in state aid, our budget needed to be reduced by $7 million. Of course, the only way to reduce that amount is through cuts to programs and personnel. At the time of the budget development and vote, it was known my predecessor was retiring and I would be assuming his spot. As such, I was actively involved in determining the reductions, responding to parents upset about particular cutbacks and advising staff members in every category they no longer had a job. Especially difficult was telling teachers who had been my...