By MADDY VITALE
With just weeks to go before the start of the school year, Ocean City school district officials say they are confident that they have an interim school superintendent in place to lead the district while they narrow the search for a candidate who is a good fit to join the district on a permanent basis.
“We are moving into the final stages of the superintendent search and plan to discuss the next steps with the board in executive session at next week’s school board meeting,” Board of Education President Chris Halliday said in an email.
The first day of school in the district is Tuesday, Sept. 5. Retired longtime educator Dr. Scott McCartney was hired and approved by the school board in June as the interim superintendent. He began on July 1. His role is to bridge the gap until a full-time superintendent is in place.
Over the past few months, the board reviewed 45 applications before narrowing the pool down. The district has roughly 2,000 students in the three schools, primary, intermediate and high school.
“While the process continues, the Board was presented with a strong pool of applicants and has been fortunate to interview a number of well-qualified candidates,” Halliday said in the email.
During the search, the board has held special meetings since April, to allow enough time for the school board to meet as a whole and go over the candidates and their qualifications.
In the spring, the school board asked for the public’s input in a forum on what parents, teachers, students and other stakeholders would like to see in a new superintendent.
While the special meetings are officially open to the public, the board does its review of the candidates’ applications in executive session since it involves personnel issues and then returns to the public meeting.
“The board added eight additional/special meetings since April,” Halliday said.
Some of the key requests were as follows: ample educational experience, a proven track record of success in the Ocean City School District or another school district and a strong focus on academics with the goal of improving test scores. Among other factors was living in the community or within a reasonable commuting distance.
The district has not had a long-term leader since Kathleen Taylor retired in August of 2021 after 15 years of service. McCartney, of Egg Harbor Township, will fill the role of superintendent of schools in the district until a permanent superintendent is hired.
Interim Superintendent Tom Baruffi filled the void until the district hired Matthew Friedman as schools superintendent in June of 2022.
Friedman resigned at the end of March to become superintendent of the Quakertown Community School District in Bucks County, Pa. He received a salary of $190,000.
McCartney’s contract is short-term and runs from July 1 through Dec. 31.
He has a long list of accomplishments and officials say they are confident that he will help lead the district in the right direction while they continue the search for a superintendent that will be a good fit for the district on a permanent basis.
McCartney served as superintendent of the Dennis Township School District, assistant superintendent and superintendent of the Egg Harbor Township School District, and superintendent/principal in Downe Township in Cumberland County.
He also served as superintendent of Moorestown Township Public Schools, a high-achieving district in Burlington County, before retiring in June 2021.
For more information about Ocean City schools visit oceancityschools.org.
