By MADDY VITALE
The Ocean City School District is looking to hire a person for a key position in the district – high school principal.
It has been a year since high school principal Matthew Jamison retired. Jamison had held the top post since 2007. He resigned in August of 2021, the same time as longtime Schools Superintendent Kathleen Taylor.
That left the district with two roles to fill. Interim Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Baruffi leaves June 30 and Dr. Matthew Friedman will fill the major role of head of the district when he begins July 1.
But the hiring of a new principal was put on hold until now, School Business Administrator Tim Kelley explained.
“It is a very important position in the district. The overall decision was to wait until a full-time superintendent was in place to participate in the selection process,” Kelley said Tuesday of the decision.
The district opted to wait until the new superintendent was selected before advertising for the high school principal's position, he added.
The Board of Education technically hires employees of the district. However, it is on the recommendation of the superintendent. Friedman, as the district's new superintendent, will play a major part in the selection of the new high school principal.
Some of the qualities the district is looking for in candidates for principal, according to the district website,
oceancityschools.org, are as follows:
- Personality that demonstrates enthusiasm and strong interpersonal skills with students, staff, parents and community
- A visionary leader with excellent organizational and technology capability
- Knowledge and understanding of effective instructional strategies, scheduling and classroom management
Dr. Matthew Friedman begins July 1 as the new superintendent in the district. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City School District)
In addition, a qualified candidate must have been a teacher for four years and an administrator for three years, according to the description.
Assistant High School Principal Dr. Wendy O’Neal is currently serving as acting high school principal. She assumed the role in the spring.
O’Neal has been employed by the district as the assistant high school principal since 2015, Kelley said.
Mark Napoleon, a retired superintendent from another district, was hired last August as the acting high school principal, but left for another opportunity in April.
Kelley noted that the district will await the pool of candidates before making any decisions on a salary range.
According to data on
govsalaries.com, Jamison made $161,260 in 2020, which is at the top of the scale for
principals
in the state.
