By John Burton
RED BANK – The official search to find a new superintendent of schools has begun and an interim superintendent has been hired.
The Board of Education this week formally began the process of filling the vacancy left with the retirement of Laura Morana by selecting two educators who will assume the role of interim superintendents consecutively during the search. The board has also contracted with a firm to conduct the candidate’s search.
The board voted unanimously at Tuesday evening’s meeting to hire Harold Reid to serve as an interim superintendent when Morana steps down, effective Sept. 30. Reid will serve until Nov. 1 and earn a per diem fee of $557.60, with that amount set by the Monmouth County’s executive superintendent of schools, according to Debra Pappagallo, the district’s business administrator.
Following Reid in November will be Robert Mahon, who will be the interim superintendent until a permanent replacement is found, Board President Ben Forest said.
Mahon will earn the same fee as Reid, Pappagallo said.
Reid said on Tuesday he worked for the Piscataway public school district for 14 years in a number of positions, including as assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent. He also has a brief history in the Red Bank district, working as an interim principal for the primary school from April through June in 2012 and from March until June this year.
“I love it here in Red Bank. It feels like home,” Reid told the board. He said he has no interest in the permanent position.
Mahon spent 19 years as superintendent of schools for Ocean Township. He has worked as an interim superintendent in Monmouth County for approximately 10 years, Morana said.
He, too, has had a brief history in the district, working as the interim superintendent for a number of months, prior to the board hiring Morana in 2006, Forest said.
“So, he already has relationships in the district. He knows the lay of the land,” Forest said.
The board hired Leadership Advantage, Little Silver, for its superintendent candidate search, agreeing to pay the firm $8,900 for the work. That amount, Forest said, was the lowest bidder “by a significant amount,” among the three quotes the district received. Leadership Advantage selected Morana for the board to consider when it last was searching for a superintendent, Forest said,
Forest said he expects the search to take six months or longer. “It just takes a while” to find and interview qualified candidates and select the best, he said.
Morana has hinted she is weighing her options from some opportunities that have come her way.
