Ocean City School Board Hires Interim Superintendent

mvitale

The June school board meeting.

By MADDY VITALE Ocean City's school district finds itself in the same position as it had been in less than two years ago – in search of a new superintendent. But on Thursday night, the Board of Education took the first step with the hiring of an interim superintendent to temporarily lead the district, which has about 2,000 students combined in the primary, intermediate and high schools. The board approved Scott P. McCartney as the interim superintendent effective July 1. McCartney, of Egg Harbor Township, will lead the district until a permanent superintendent is hired to replace departing Superintendent Matthew Friedman, whose last day is June 30. “On behalf of the board of education, I’m pleased to welcome Dr. McCartney as interim superintendent,” board President Chris Halliday said in a statement. “He understands the distinctive culture and needs of this region, the challenges and, most importantly, the opportunities of our shore community. We believe he is the right person to engage and work with the board of education, his colleagues in the district, and our community in the coming months.” McCartney’s contract is short-term and runs from July 1 through Dec. 31. “Dr. McCartney is committed to stay in Ocean City during this critical transition period,” Halliday said in his statement. “Our goal is to hire a new permanent superintendent in the near future, ideally very close to the start of the new school year.” The district was rushed into the hiring of the interim after the abrupt resignation of Friedman, of Downingtown, Pa. who began in the district in June of 2022. Friedman, whose annual salary was $190,000, had a three-year contract with the district. Friedman resigned at the end of March to become superintendent of the Quakertown Community School District in Bucks County, Pa. Prior to Friedman’s hiring, Tom Baruffi was the interim superintendent following former Superintendent Kathleen Taylor's retirement in 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B89B_JVyhA Video courtesy of Martin Fiedler, Just Right TV Productions Not all the school board members were in favor of hiring McCartney. And it had nothing to do with his credentials, which the board members all agreed were excellent. Board members Robin Shaffer and Catherine Panico voted against the appointment because of the process, as well as the possibility of hiring someone who is qualified who is already working in the district. Shaffer said that Lauren Guenther, the district’s head of curriculum, should have been considered for the position. “We are ignoring in-house talent. We have an in-house candidate who was not considered for this position,” Shaffer said. “I thought she was the best option for us on March 25 and I still think that Dr. Guenther is the best option for this position.” Shaffer also detailed portions of McCartney’s contract, which he said included $17,000 for travel and a $1,500 personal home computer, among other things. Shaffer said that those portions of the contract should have been discussed further. He also argued that the contract was already sent up to the county superintendent for review before it was voted on by the board. School Solicitor Mike Stanton told Shaffer that he allowed him to talk about the hiring during Thursday's meeting, but that he did not expect him to get into personnel matters that were discussed in executive session already. “I voted down the candidate that was nominated for this interim position, not because of the candidate. He is a tremendous candidate," Panico said of McCartney. "He is credentialed. It’s the process that I object to.” School Business Administrator Tim Kelley later told the board that as in all contracts, they must first go up to the county superintendent's office for approval, prior to a school board vote.

The audience fills the library at the high school for the school board meeting. Halliday said that hiring McCartney was critical to keeping the district heading in the right direction. He said McCartney is an experienced and well-regarded superintendent and will bridge the gap while the board continues the search process for a permanent, full-time superintendent. “We have a previous superintendent of the year in New Jersey who is local and is willing to help us to be a stopgap measure,” Halliday said. “He will assist with the transition of a new superintendent and help the administrator through the summer and open the buildings.” Ocean City resident Lisa Mansfield thanked the board for hiring McCartney. “He is extremely well-respected in the field, and I really think he will be a benefit while the district transitions to a new superintendent," Mansfield said. "He knows his stuff.” McCartney began his administrative career as a vice principal in Hamilton Township Public Schools in Mays Landing, according to a news release. Over a 15-year span, he served as superintendent of Dennis Township School District, assistant superintendent and superintendent of Egg Harbor Township School District, and superintendent/principal in Downe Township in Cumberland County. McCartney also served as superintendent of Moorestown Township Public Schools, a high-achieving district in Burlington County, before retiring in June 2021. Among his honors, he was the 2015 NJASA (New Jersey Association of School Administrators) Southern Regional Superintendent of the Year. This was Friedman's last meeting as superintendent in the district. At the end of the meeting, he thanked the board and the community and said he enjoyed his time in the district. Several of the school board members wished him well and told him that his work was appreciated.