Great Meadows Regional, Allamuchy school districts to share superintendent

INDEPENDENCE TWP. | Jason Bing had a late last day Tuesday as superintendent of the Great Meadows Regional School District.

His day concluded with a 7:30 p.m. special school board meeting. One of the topics on the agenda was the search for Bing's replacement.

While the district searches for a full-time superintendent, it will share an interim school chief with the neighboring Allamuchy Township School District, said Great Meadows Regional School Board President Jennifer Cassini.

Allamuchy Superintendent Timothy Frederiks will divide his time between the districts, which Cassini said will ease "the pain of losing Mr. Bing."

"He was popular," Cassini said. "He was a good fit for the district. He will be missed."

Cassini said having Frederiks will provide continuity for the district and offer a possible preview of a longer-term agreement.

"Right now, the district's plan is to use Dr. Frederiks on an interim basis and look at getting a full-time superintendent," Cassini said, acknowledging the district will examine multiple options.

Allamuchy shared Frederiks with schools in neighboring Green Township, Sussex County, for a time in 2007.

Bing, of Clinton, was selected to be superintendent of Great Meadows Regional, encompassing Liberty and Independence townships, in 2005 after serving as its director of curriculum and special services.

Previously he was a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher in North Plainfield, N.J., and served as supervisor of elementary curriculum in the Phillipsburg School District.

His time in Warren County exposed him to issues ranging from district regionalization to budget fights, but also allowed him to be more involved in his district's daily proceedings, he said.

"This is a district of endless possibilities," Bing said. "In so many districts, you're faced with so many roadblocks."

Bing credited staff for helping him to realize many of his goals, one of which was expanding the district's technology program. Much of the staff grew up in the area, he said, which gives them a vested interest in their students' success.

"It's a very community-oriented district," Bing said.

Bing's resignation was accepted by the Great Meadows School Board at its reorganization meeting April 30.

Headed down the shore

Bing opted not to renew his four-year contract with the district -- which expired Tuesday -- in favor of pursuing a position in the Barnegat Township School District in Ocean County.

It is a relatively young K-12 district, Bing said, with more students and more buildings than Great Meadows.

According to March 26 meeting minutes from Barnegat, Bing was unanimously chosen as the district's new superintendent at a $145,000 salary for the 2009-10 school year. Officials quoted in the minutes said Bing's salary saves their district $120,000 compared to the previous chief.

One benefit to working in a shore town: "You can wear flip-flops down there," Bing said with a chuckle.