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Board’s choice for principal declines; interim is option
(by Kathryn A. Burger - May 13, 2008)
The one acceptable candidate out of eight finalists for the position of principal at Park Ridge High has declined the district’s offer in favor of one from the district where he is currently employed. Michael Parent, currently an assistant principal in the Dumont School District, has accepted a principal’s position there.
Superintendent of Schools Patricia Johnson said that immediately following the board’s May 5 meeting, Parent was interviewed by the board. She said, “We had 29 applicants for the position. The New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association winnowed the field down to eight. A committee of parents and staff members then conducted interviews with each candidate, which is usually the first round of the interview process. Of the eight candidates, the committee found only Michael Parent to be an acceptable candidate.”
Johnson explained if more than one candidate had been recommended by the committee there would have been a second round of interviews, this time with a committee that she chairs and consisting of district directors and Mark Cosgrove, the high school’s assistant principal. “We had one candidate to either accept or reject and we accepted him,” Johnson said.
It was anticipated that Parent would be appointed at the May 12 meeting. Instead, Johnson advised that he had rejected the offer. It was then up to the board to decide how to proceed. Johnson said since none of the other finalists had been acceptable, the board choices were to begin a new search immediately, or hire an interim principal for the 2008-2009 school year. A new search could be undertaken in 2009 with a new, and hopefully deeper, pool of candidates.
That discussion was held in a closed session meeting of the board following the Monday, May 12 meeting.
On Tuesday, May 13 Robert Wright, the district’s business administrator, said the board had decided to pursue the interim option. It was unknown as of press time, when an interim would be named. Richard Martinez, the current high school principal, is leaving the district when his contact expires on June 30. In January, Martinez asked the board not to consider his contract for renewal, citing personal reasons for his departure.
Kathryn A. Burger's e-mail address is burger@northjersey.com.
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