Franklin Lakes Gears Up for Superintendent Search

The timeline for the process to replace outgoing Superintendent Frank Romano emerged last week, as the Franklin Lakes Board of Education heard proposals last Wednesday from five search firms seeking to help the district narrow in on a candidate.

Romano announced his resignation in April, saying he would finish out the balance of his contract, which ends June 30, 2014.

The firms that pitched their services to the board were Ray Associates, HYA and Associates, R-Pat Solutions, Leadership Advantage, and New Jersey School Boards, a nonprofit.

“They all pretty much offer the same services,” said Board President Larry Loprete, adding that price is likely to be a determining factor in the selection. Prices proposed by the firms ranged from $6,500 to over $15,000.

“You’re paying for their expertise in prescreening the candidates,” Loprete said. “They know the area, they know the people.”

The timeline that emerged in the presentations is a four to six-month search, which could potentially begin with the hiring of a firm at a September board meeting. Loprete said that beginning early in the year is important to be sure that a candidate is able to give a current employer the 60-90 day notice typically included in a contract.

The firms unanimously said that the timeline would include meetings with community groups chosen by the board, and background checks before a handful of the best candidates is presented to the board.

Unlike during its last search, which selected Romano, the district may be hamstrung by state regulations in finding a new schools chief.

In 2010, Romano was appointed to a four-year contract at an annual salary $189,000. In 2011, a salary cap was promulgated by the state education commission, limiting the salaries negotiated in new contracts to $145,000 for a district the size of Franklin Lakes.

“We’ve placed New Yorkers in Englewood Cliffs, Allendale, and Woodcliff Lake, but now it’s harder to get people from out of state to come to New Jersey because of the laws,” Mike Osnato of the firm Leadership Advantage told the board last week.

His partner, Rich Marasco added that the likely pool of candidates would be comprised of principals, assistant superintendents, and schools chiefs from smaller districts.

Loprete said he expects that one of the five search firms’ pitches will be accepted by the board, and that the district will begin the search in September.

The next scheduled board of education meeting is Sept. 10.