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Schools

Ready to Head 17 Middletown Schools

William George steps in as superintendent of Monmouth County's largest school district on Dec. 1.

Whether you have school children or not, Dr. William George would like to invite you to one of his coffee klatches early next month.

Those morning meetings — tentatively scheduled for the first week of December at Middletown's three middle schools — will be more than a meet-and-greet for George, Middletown's incoming superintendent of schools.

As George sees it, after he starts his job in the district on Dec. 1, the klatches will serve as the first of many casual gatherings to come during his tenure that will open opportunities for township residents to bend his ear.

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Currently completing his five-year tenure as Hazlet's superintendent of schools, George is the latest in a string of superintendents that have occupied the board offices since February.

Pledging to become the stopper in what has been referred to as the "revolving door" of administrators leading Monmouth County's largest K-12 school district, George, 48, plans to stay at the $187,000 yearly post for the long haul.

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"I will make sure I listen," said George, whose five-year contract in Middletown calls for $27,000 in merit pay. "I will create opportunities for all of the staff members, parents, residents to have input. We did a good job of that in Hazlet."

With everyone from Gov. Chris Christie to individual taxpayers targeting educators, administrators, and school boards as the scapegoat for New Jersey's rising property taxes, George knows he needs to show Middletown residents that they are getting their money's worth.

Property owners in the township need to see that a thriving school system adds value to the real estate market values, he noted.

"In education, we are providing programs that protect their investment," George said.

Through showing accountability, communicating with the public and the applying the basic rule of human relations, George garnered favor with staffers, parents, and residents over his nine years in the Hazlet district, hired as its assistant superintendent for the first four of those years.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," he said of his record. "The key to our success is collaboration involving all of the stakeholders — the students, parents, staff, and the community — and keeping the lines of communication open with the board of education." 

Now earning $198,000 in Hazlet, George pointed to school budgets there that remained within range $46 million range over the four years he has served as superintendent. Hazlet's current $46.6 million budget for the 2011-2012 academic year is about one percent higher than the $46 million budget for the 2010-2011 year.

To hold off any substantial school tax hikes, George says he implemented a series of initiatives including sharing services with the municipality and the Highlands Public Schools. The latter agreement resulted in revenues adding up to $132,000 in revenue, he said.

To save on transportation and out-of-district tuition, George championed returning  a majority of the special education students placed in programs outside Hazlet's borders back into comparable programs in their home district. That strategy placed certain special needs students in the least restrictive environment within the district at an annual savings of $528,731, he said.

Additionally, George persuaded the Hazlet Township Board of Education to refinance the payment on its sole outstanding bond for a savings of nearly $1 million over the next 20 years.

"I think you have to show the tangible evidence of fiscal responsibility," George said. "Hazlet passed half of its school budgets during some of the most difficult financial times."

In cooperation with the Hazlet school board, George helped bring a solar energy programs to that district's schools. The result: lower electric bills with kilowatt hours cut by half.

"We'll save $1.7 million over the next 15 years at no cost to the taxpayers," George said. "We got a reduction from 17 cents per kilowatt hour to 8.9 cents per kilowatt hour."

"The district saved $118,000 this year alone," he went on.

Both George and school board president Joan Minnuies are aware that some township residents have criticized the incoming administrator's salary, particularly when Christie's capped superintendent pay at $177,500 for districts of up to 10,000 students.

Because Middletown serves more than 10,400 students in 17 schools, the school board submitted a letter of intent to the county superinentendent to explain the rationale its decision to exceed the governor's edict, Minnuies said.

Given the recent history of turnover in the district superintendent's office the size of the school system, the board justified George's intended salary and stressed his experience with cost-cutting measures, she added.

"It was something we felt we had to do in order to get the best candidate," Minnuies said.

George's forthcoming salary package is about $11,000 less than what he presently earns in Hazlet. However, he believes working with the Middletown board will be worth it in the long run.

"I feel grateful that my body of work as a superintendent warranted the additional money," he said. "I'm also grateful for the people I worked with in Hazlet and that this board, the county superintendent, and [state Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf] felt I was worth more pay."

"I feel that throughout the [hiring] process I was treated fairly by the board," he added. "They were committed to finding the best person to serve Middletown."

During November, George will continue attending board meetings and other school-related functions as a means of reaching out to administrators, faculty, staff, parents and students. He is still attending board meetings and finishing up outstanding projects in Hazlet while on the clock there.

"My first responsibility is to Hazlet now," George said. "But over the next three weeks, I want to meet with as much of the staff as possible through school visits."

Having stood in the shoes of both teacher and principal, George says he wants to know how he can help them achieve more in the classrooms. From 1999 through 2001, he oversaw Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls as principal.

The Oceanport native's curriculum vitae also includes his tenure as an assistant principal at the Long Branch Middle School. He taught physical education and at both Long Branch High School, his alma mater, and in the Little Silver public schools.

"I have seen firsthand what an outstanding community Middletown is," George said. "Having been an educator and coach, I have seen some of the outstanding things that the Middletown public schools have accomplished over the years. I'm excited to be here."

A strong advocate of public education, George earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from Michigan State University. He stayed in the midwest to earn a master of arts from Ohio State University.

Returning to his New Jersey roots, George attended and graduated from Monmouth University with a master of science in education. He then earned his doctorate in education from Seton Hall University.

"I strongly believe that public education is the core of democracy," George said. "Through public education, one has the opportunity to prosper."

"I believe that every child going through the public school system should have the opportunity to maximize their potential and become all they can," he continued. "We should inspire it. We should motivate it. We should foster it and assist the process."

George will take over the reins from , who has been leading the district since September. Donnelly was appointed to succeed Patrick Houston, another interim superintendent who abruptly resigned from that post at an Aug. 24 board meeting.

after the board refused to honor his recommendation to promote  Assistant Principal Patrick Rinella to the principal's office. Rinella was to succeed , the high school's interim principal, who, in a highly contentious move, was removed from that job by the board this summer.

Rinella eventually prevailed and now serves as Middletown South's interim principal. Shallop has since accepted a position as assistant principal in the Edison public schools.

Middletown has been without a permanent superintendent since Dr. Karen Bilbao retired in February. She was immediately succeeded by interim superintendent Thomas Pagano, who left his post prematurely for personal reasons. Houston, a 36-year district veteran teacher and coach, followed Pagano's short tenure.

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