GOVERNOR CORZINE ANNOUNCES SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF NEWARK SCHOOLS

NEWARK – Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced the formation of a search committee to select the next Superintendent of the Newark school district to replace departing Superintendent Marion A. Bolden.

“There is no doubt that Marion Bolden will be a tough act to follow,” said Governor Corzine. “Under her strong and capable leadership, the Newark school district has made tremendous progress in the education of the city’s children.  We owe it to her legacy and the solid foundation she has built here to ensure that the next phase of leadership continues the momentum.

“My ultimate goal is to have the Newark School district serve as an example of what can and should be achieved in our school districts.   Through this selection committee, we will have a transparent and inclusive process in determining the next superintendent who can enact and articulate this vision.”

“Marion Bolden has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the children of Newark and to the improvement of the Newark school system,” said Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy.  “She should also be commended for the many innovative partnerships that she created with businesses and non-profit organizations to further enhance the quality of education in the district.

“The search committee the Governor has assembled will not have an easy job.  Leading the Newark school district will be a complex undertaking, and Ms. Bolden's successor will have to demonstrate extraordinary leadership qualities,” the Commissioner said.

Chaired by noted historian and Rutgers Professor Clement Price, the search committee is comprised of a diverse group of administrators, parents, and community and business leaders from the city of Newark.  One additional representative will be named in the near future.

• Clement Price, Professor of History and Director of the Rutgers Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience 
• Rochelle Hendricks, Assistant Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Education
• Dana Rone, Newark City Council Member, Central Ward
• Carl Sharif, Newark resident
• Samuel Gonzalez, Chairperson, Newark Public Schools Advisory Board
• Shanique L. Davis-Speight,  Vice-chairperson Newark Public Schools Advisory Board
• Richard Cammarieri, Member, Newark Public Schools Advisory Board
• Al Koeppe,  CEO, Newark Alliance
• Gabriella Morris, President, Prudential Foundation
• Junius Williams, Director, The Abbott Leadership Institute, Rutgers University
• Willie Thomas, Principal, Newton Street School
• Reverend Perry Simmons, Jr., Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church
• Casto Maldonado, President/CEO, FOCUS Hispanic Center for Community Development
• Father  Edwin D. Leahy, Headmaster, St. Benedict’s Preparatory School
• Wilhelmina Holder, Parent
• Joseph Fonseca, Newark Teacher’s Union

"I'm absolutely honored to serve in this important capacity,” said Clement Price.  “As a former vice-chair of the advisory board, I have an abiding interest in the future of our children and am committed to ensuring that the search committee engages all of Newark in this process."

During Superintendent Bolden’s tenure a number of initiatives have been instituted including standard reading and math programs, assigned literacy and math coaches, and enhanced professional development for teachers and administrators.  As a result, Newark’s at-risk 4^th graders significantly improved their proficiency in both math and language arts, with math scores increasing by over 25% in a five-year period.     

Newark is the state’s largest school district with 76 schools and an enrollment of 42,000 students.

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inthe Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page, http://www.nj.gov/governor/news/