Dear Roxbury School District School Community:

The Roxbury Board of Education is very pleased to report that last evening the Board appointed Dr. Frank Santora as the next District Superintendent. Dr. Santora has broad and deep experience as an educator, with a focus on expanding and maximizing learning opportunities for all students. His work has included bolstering support for both special education and general education students. Dr. Santora has expressed that he sees potential in every person, works on consensus building, believes that accountability starts with clarity and support for staff and students, and he practices transparency and visibility to the students, staff, and public.

In his current district, Dr. Santora created increased opportunities to engage and inform the broader school community on key issues, including the importance of meeting the social-emotional needs of students both in and outside of the learning environment. He has worked diligently to enhance the emotional health and well-being of students. Under his leadership, that district significantly increased both the frequency and intensity of the mental health services and support offered to students.

Dr. Santora currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services in the Madison School District. Prior to arriving in Madison, Dr. Santora served as the Director of Special Services and Building Principal in the Saddle Brook School District. At the onset of his career, Dr. Santora served as a School Psychologist and member of the Child Study Team in the Westfield Public School District.

In 2014, Dr. Santora earned his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Saint Elizabeth University. Dr. Santora’s research focused on examining the impact district-run training programs have on the daily practice and procedures of parents and staff affiliated with in-district Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs.

The Board is grateful that the District could attract such an accomplished educator. That is due in no small part to the excellent reputation of our current administration and staff, particularly our teachers, and the dynamic, innovative, and goal-oriented accomplishments of the Roxbury school community.

Dr. Santora will formally assume his duties on or about July 1, 2023. Please join us in welcoming him to Roxbury!

Sincerely,

Leo J. Coakley
Roxbury Board President

Applications were screened at the end of March and confidential interviews were held on several dates in April. This process was conducted in a strictly confidential manner to protect the personal interests of the applicants.

The Board of Education made a selection and submitted the nominee to the Morris County Superintendent of Schools for approval. The Board of Education formally submitted the nominee and subsequently approved Dr. Frank Santora at its May 8, 2023 board of education meeting.

There will be an introduction of the new superintendent to the school community and public in May/June on a schedule to be determined. The Strategic Plan update, incorporating the vision for the future of the Roxbury District, will be completed within a few months after the new superintendent takes office.

Timeline for Key Activities:

• February: Planning & Advertisement
• March: Application Period, Community Input, & Surveys
• April: Candidate Interviews & Selection
• May: Superintendent Appointment & Introduction
• July-September: Update of Strategic Plan

With the pending retirement of Dr. Radulic at the end of the school year, the Roxbury Township Board of Education has launched a search to find a new superintendent who can continue to advance opportunities for our children. The search program, under the guidance of the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), will include provision for students, parents, staff, and the community at large to have a voice in defining a vision for the district and in establishing the criteria that will be used to evaluate candidates for Superintendent. This public input will also be used to update our Strategic Plan for the District in the summer of 2023.

The NJSBA is an independent, non-governmental association of school boards in New Jersey whose purpose is to assist local boards in fulfilling their missions and obligations. The NJSBA provides a wide range of services including training of board members and advocating for school district interests before public bodies.

Mrs. Charlene Peterson, Field Services Representative for NJSBA, will lead a presentation of the Roxbury superintendent search program at a special meeting of the Board of Education to be held on Thursday, March 9th. See the meeting schedule below for further information. Mrs. Peterson will provide an overview of the search program, schedule, and community survey. She will then facilitate a public session where those in attendance can voice their opinions and suggestions regarding their vision for the future of the district and the criteria for selecting a new superintendent.

The link for access to the community survey will be posted on this page when the community survey is released for participation, expected on or about March 10th.

The deadline for receipt of all applications is Monday, March 27, 2023. Applications will then be screened and confidential interviews conducted with promising candidates to find the leader who will be the right fit for Roxbury based on the established criteria.

Virtual Meeting held Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. via Google Meets

• Press Release
  • Announcement of Virtual Meeting and Community Survey Link
• Google Meet

In-Person Meeting held Thursday, March 9, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the EMS Auditorium 

• Press Release
  • Announcement of In-Person Meeting
• Presentation by Mrs. Charlene Peterson of NJSBA,
  • Description of the overall search process, schedule, and community survey.
• Video Recorded Presentation by Mrs. Charlene Peterson
  
  • Description of the overall search process, schedule, and community survey.

Survey Opening Date: March 10, 2023

Survey Closing Date: March 27, 2023

Link to Survey: Survey is Now Closed

Superintendent Application Period Closes: Monday, March 27, 2023

Applications will be screened by the end of March and confidential interviews will be conducted on several dates in April. This process must be conducted in a strictly confidential manner to protect the personal interests of the applicants.

Following selection by the Roxbury Board of Education and approval by the Morris County Superintendent of Schools, the successful candidate will be announced for appointment in late April or early May.

There will be an introduction of the new superintendent to the school community and public in May/June on a schedule to be determined. The Strategic Plan update, incorporating the vision for the future of the Roxbury District, will be completed within a few months after the new superintendent takes office.

Community Input Survey

The Community Input Survey closed on March 27th. There were 834 participants, including 41% parents, 27% students, and about 23% combined staff (constituting 91% of respondents). Thank you to all who participated in the survey and in the eight in-person and virtual input sessions with the general public and with specific segments of our community, including students - conducted by Charlene Peterson (NJSBA Field Representative).

Superintendent Applications

Acceptance of Superintendent applications ended March 27th. We received a total of 45 completed applications meeting the required criteria.

The breakdown of applicants included:

• Superintendent/Chief School Administrator = 19
• Assistant Superintendent = 5
• Director/Supervisor = 9
• Principal = 8
• Other = 4

• With EdD/PhD = 25
• Residence: New Jersey = 41 | Pennsylvania = 3 | Maine = 1

A special meeting of the Board of Education (BOE) was held on March 30th. The BOE screened the applications for favorable candidates and scheduled interviews for April. So far we are on the original schedule as described at the March 9th public session. Based on the number of candidates we selected for initial interviews and the limited availability of dates for which personnel are available for subsequent interviews, it now looks like we will be in May before making a final selection and appointment. As we said with the original schedule, we will take more time if more time is needed.

Questions, including technical issues, regarding the survey or search process may be submitted to the following email address: supersearch@roxbury.org. 

Comments and opinions regarding the search and vision for our district should be included in online survey responses. 

This special email address is NOT a substitute or alternative for the survey or public meetings. 

Please do not address questions or comments to the members of the Roxbury District administration or to individual Board of Education members.