Schools

Consultant Tells Board Next Superintendent Needs These Skills

Recruitment will play a significant part in search for new district leader.

William Librera spoke about the qualities he said the superintendent of the Wayne School District needs to possess at the board of education meeting Thursday night.

Librera is executive director of West Hudson Associates, a consulting firm specializing in leadership searches and conducting analytical studies or organizational effectiveness in education. The board hired West Hudson to assist in the hiring process.

Librera said that the new superintendent must possess several qualities in order to effectively lead the district of more than 9,000 students. Librera met with the board of education and district officials and employees. He discussed with them what qualities they would like the person to possess. They are:

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • A proven track record in dealing with complex organizations.
  • The ability to form interpersonal relationships and communicate well with others. He or she must also possess excellent management skills.
  • The person would collaborate with the school and residents in the community in order to sustain a vision for continuously improving the district.

“Wayne is in a very unique circumstance,” Librera said. “It is a very large district with a great deal of potential.”

The person should have previously experience as a superintendent or work in a district’s central office or “the equivalent” of these two, Librera said.

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“That’s not to say that someone who has just become a superintendent would be an appropriate choice,” Librera said. “Wayne does need someone who has experience working with a large group of people for a fair amount of time.”

Librera’s firm has been involved in superintendent searches for 35 districts, including five this year. The districts have had between 12,000 and 300 students.

“Wayne does have a lot students, who are enrolled in every level of education, which is one of its strengths as a district,” Librera said. “But that can be intimidating for someone who never has been a superintendent before.”

Recruiting will play a large part in the process. Placing advertisements and seeing who applies and picking from that crop of candidate will not work.

The district has been without a permanent superintendent since 2009, after John Sico Jr. retired after serving just nine months of his 3 1/2-year contract. His salary was $190,000 a year.

The search process has been made more difficult since Governor Chris Christie instituted a $175,000 cap on superintendents’ salaries earlier this year. 

“It is a very difficult time to search for leaders in the state of New Jersey,” Librera said. “The important thing in any search is to throw as wide of a net as you can.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here