P'burg public getting say on superintendent District schedules February forum. Residents' input will be used in search for Pethick successor. Tuesday, January 29, 2008 • By ANDREA EILENBERGER • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | Community members next month can weigh in on what they want to see in the next Phillipsburg School District superintendent. School board members already established some criteria the next top school administrator should meet, and the Feb. 20 forum gives the public the chance to do the same. "I think it's important that the people of Phillipsburg have the opportunity to establish guidelines on what they would like the superintendent to accomplish," school board President Paul Rummerfield said. Rummerfield also sees the session as a chance to determine educational priorities from the community's perspective. The 7 p.m. session will be held in the middle school commons area. The new leader will replace Gordon Pethick, who left the district about two weeks ago under an early separation agreement. District Director of Secondary Education George Chando is now acting superintendent. The school board is conducting the search with the help of the New Jersey School Boards Association for a fee of $6,000, which includes advertising costs. Search consultant Joanne Borin will attend the community forum. She'll provide a time frame, explain the procedure and the roles of the school board, staff and community, according to information provided by the association. Input gathered from that forum, along with information from other groups, will be used to craft candidate reviews and interviews. Earlier in the day, separate forums will be held with district staff and administrators. Some of the qualities board members are seeking in a new leader include focus on curriculum, ability to efficiently communicate with the district and the public, and excellent educational leadership. Once applications come in, the association will conduct an initial review and forward them to the school board. It will send along all applications except those that are very off-base from the guidelines the school district has set. "The board wants to stay very involved for the process," Rummerfield said, noting that the district could have paid more to give the association more responsibility. Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.