Superintendent
choice facing another hurdle
Independence Twp. candidate must
pass state test to be eligible for job.
Thursday, June 30, 2005 • By KAT MAIN • The
Express-Times
INDEPENDENCE TWP. -- Board of education
members announced Monday night the search for a new
superintendent is over.
That is if candidate Jason Bing can make
the grade.
"I have to wait for the results from an
examination," Bing said. "They've recently changed the
licensing in the state. I have an old (superintendent's)
license, I have to update."
Before he can be officially named to the
position left vacant more than a year and a half ago by
Tracey Severns, Bing must pass a state-mandated
test.
Superintendents in the state's school
districts must complete the Praxis test -- a three-hour
assessment evaluating reactions to job-related scenarios,
according to the Web site for the Educational Testing
Services.
Upon passing the evaluation, Bing would
be cleared to take the reins of the school district, Interim
Superintendent James Alercia said.
Bing said he expects to start his new job
in the beginning of October.
The Clinton resident is the district's
director of curriculum and special services. He said he is
excited to fill the long-vacant position.
"I'm just excited," he said. "We have a
great core of teachers and administrators. It's an exciting
opportunity."
Previously, Bing, 34, was a fourth- and
fifth-grade teacher in North Plainfield, N.J., and served as
supervisor of elementary curriculum in the Phillipsburg
School District.
While at Phillipsburg, Bing said he and
his team facilitated the writing of kindergarten through
fifth-grade curriculum, worked toward professional
development for staff and conducted staff
evaluations.
As superintendent, Bing said one of his
main goals is to establish a shared vision for the
district.
"It is a challenge as a regional school
district to bring separate towns together," Bing said. "The
district is taking positive steps bringing them together and
I hope to continue that initiative."
Another initiative Bing would like to see
develop further is the Great Meadows Foundation, a nonprofit
fundraising organization for the district.
Run by a board of trustees, the
superintendent, a board of education member and members of
the community, the foundation's goal is to raise funds and
offer grants to teachers and school projects benefiting the
district's students, Alercia said.
Bing said he'd also like to bring
technology into the classroom and curriculum by using
computers, wireless labs and possibly video
conferencing.
"We've seen a lot of success from him,"
Alercia said. "He's been doing a good job (as director of
curriculum and special services) and has a vision for the
district that's right in line with what everybody is working
toward. It's a good match."
Bing, who currently earns more than
$91,000, said the superintendent's salary will be negotiated
at a later date.
The board also announced Monday that
Anthony Piperata will act as interim superintendent. He will
take over for Alercia whose last day is Friday.
Piperata is a past assistant
superintendent with the district and was chief school
administrator at Liberty School, which existed before the
creation of the regional school district.
"The thing the district needs and was
looking for was continuity and consistency," Alercia said.
"With Mr. Piperata and Jason, I think that's going to be
guaranteed."
© 2005 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
|