Several meet-and-greet sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, April 6
TRENTON -- Teachers, parents and residents will have a chance next week to meet the two finalists who are vying to become Trenton's next schools superintendent.
File photo of Trenton Board of Education Administration Building on N. Clinton Ave. The candidates, who were chosen from 34 applicants after a national search, will meet with dozens of stakeholders over the course of April 5 and 6.
The names of the finalists will not be disclosed until the background checks are completed on April 4.
On Tuesday, the candidates will interview with the monitor appointed by the state Department of Education, Mayor Eric Jackson, City Council President Zachary Chester and have a meet-and-greet with other county elected officials.
On Wednesday, several meet-and-greet sessions are scheduled at the district administration building, 108 N. Clinton Avenue:
- 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. for parents, employees and community members
- Noon to 1 p.m. for parents, employees and community members
- 2 to 2:45 p.m. for union presidents
- 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. for building-level administrators
- 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. for all district employees
- 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. for parents, students and community members
An hourlong public forum will follow at 6:45 p.m., during which prescreened questions will be asked to each of the candidates separately while the other is sequestered.
Each candidate will be given a half hour and will have an opportunity to make opening and closing statements and answer as many questions as possible.
Those wishing to submit questions may do so by emailing them to billadams@ecragroup.com no later than midnight April 5. Questions can also be written on 3-by-5 index cards and dropped off at the building's security desk until the close of business April 5.
Forms will also be made available that night for additional public input.
Earlier in the day, the candidates will also be meeting with board members and senior and confidential staff.
The school board plans to select a single finalist on April 11, and pending contract negotiations and approval by the county superintendent, will vote to appoint a successor on April 25.
Interim Superintendent Lucy Feria has been running the 11,000-student district since Francisco Duran's departure in October. He resigned to become the chief academic officer of the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.