District assistant super to be named next week

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Board of Educationmembers are expected to name a new assistant superintendent next Thursday, marking the first time in two years that the school district will have its three top administrative jobs filled by permanent employees.

"The board has agreed on a candidate," Superintendent Walter J. Hrycenko said. "But I can't put a name out there until we get the county superintendent's approval."

County Superintendent Dr. Bruce Greenfield is reviewing the contract between the district and the candidate and is expected to approve it before the board's Dec. 18 public meeting, Hrycenko said.

Six of the 48 individuals who submitted an application for the position were from within the Brick school district, Hrycenko said.

An administrative committee reviewed the résumés and invited 18 individuals to participate in a first round of interviews. The final four candidates that the committee recommended were invited back for a second round of interviews before the entire Board of Education, Hrycenko said.

He declined to comment if any of the final candidates were from within the district.

The school district's three top administrative jobs — superintendent, assistant superintendent and business administrator — have been in at state of flux since Business Administrator Nicholas C. Puleio resigned in November 2006 to become the state financial monitor for the Camden school district.

At that time, the school board hired Melindo A. Persi to serve on an interim basis as the district's business administrator.

When Superintendent Thomas L. Seidenberger resigned seven months later, Persi briefly did double duty as the district's interim superintendent and business administrator.

Board members hired James W. Edwards in July 2007 as the district's permanent business administrator.

In May 2008, a reorganized Board of Education ousted Persi and installed retired assistant superintendent Mary Ann Ceres as Brick's interim chief. Board members vowed to fill the position on a permanent basis.

"The search should have started a year ago," board President Daniel J. Woska said then. "We shouldn't have had an interim for this long for a district this big. It was time to move forward."

Hrycenko, a longtime assistant superintendent, was hired as the district's permanent superintendent in August. That created the final administrative vacancy, which the board is expected to fill Dec. 18.

Ceres was named as administrative consultant in August to assist Hrycenko through the transition to superintendent and until a permanent assistant was found.

Board members voted to extend Ceres' contract for an additional nonconsecutive 30 days at the Nov. 20 board meeting, to aid in the final transition to the new assistant superintendent.