Dear
Families/Caregivers, Colleagues, and Community Members,
I am thrilled to
be officially serving as your Superintendent of Schools. These coming months I
plan to get acquainted with you as we embark on a journey of working together
to ensure that all students achieve, thrive, and feel safe and secure while in
our care. You will soon learn that I have strong beliefs for which I and my
team aspire, and they are:
All
Kids can Learn and
All
Kids are Special. I look forward to a long-lasting relationship
with our talented educators and building leaders as well as our dedicated and
caring community partners as we strive for the best for our students, our
district, and our community.
This month I will
be working with stakeholders and conferring with neighboring districts to
design plans for the fall that will provide high quality instruction, address
social and emotional needs, and ensure that if we return to school everyone
feels safe and secure. Each day we are learning more as this is an
ever-changing landscape. I know you are eager to learn if we will be back in
school, but much depends on how well we can assure that our educational spaces
will allow for social distancing and that students and staff feel safe and
secure. We will do our best to communicate plans as quickly as possible, and I
expect to report out at the end of July giving you the month of August to make
necessary plans.
Now, as a first
order of business, it is my pleasure to introduce two permanent administrators
appointed at the
June 25 Board of Education Meeting; namely, Mr. Damen Cooper as Director of
Personnel effective July 1 and Dr. Kalisha Morgan as Assistant Superintendent
for Equity, Curriculum and Instruction effective July 6.
Director
of Personnel
Joining the
Montclair team as the Director of Personnel is Mr. Damen Cooper. Mr. Cooper
knows our district well as he previously served as an Assistant Principal at
the high school. He returns with an outstanding combination of strong
administrative skills, collegial style, and a dynamic ability to recruit and
retain staff through the cultivation of relationships with
universities/colleges and key partners to our district. His recent experiences
were as a Principal in Hackensack and a state-trained member of the Affirmative
Action Team. He has also served as a Middle School Principal in Summit and
Assistant Principal in schools in Jersey City. His experiences have come from
both urban and suburban communities which will serve him well in Montclair. He
earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Central State University in Ohio
and a Master of Arts in Special Education and another in Administration and
Supervision from New Jersey City University of Jersey City. He is committed to
our district and eagerly looks forward to engaging with the community.
Assistant
Superintendent for Equity, Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Kalisha
Morgan joins our district as the Assistant Superintendent for Equity,
Curriculum and Instruction. I am delighted to have a seasoned administrator
fill this highly-regarded and much-needed position. Dr. Morgan has held
positions of Elementary Principal, High School Principal, Supervisor of
Alternative Education, Supervisor of English-Language Arts and most recently
Interim Principal of Columbia High School and Director of Planning and
Assessment for the South-Orange Maplewood district. Her education encompasses a
doctoral degree in Instructional Leadership from Nova Southeastern University,
a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and a Master’s degree in
Instruction and Curriculum, both from Kean University. Her love of teaching and
learning is evidenced by her continued role as an adjunct professor at both New
Jersey City University and Essex County College. We look forward to her work in
our district as she is at the forefront to establish protocols and form guiding
coalitions to enhance our equity efforts; strengthen our magnets; provide
specific and meaningful professional development; and manage critical learning
data to ensure that programs meet targets for equity and student growth.
Please join me in welcoming Mr. Cooper and Dr. Morgan to our
district.
Montclair
High School Principal Search
On the immediate
horizon is the search for a high school principal. In order to plan for a
smooth transition, we will initiate the principal’s search process immediately.
The district will advertise in local, tri-state, and trade publications. We
will also use our professional contacts to seek out the best possible
candidates.
We will be seeking and providing opportunities for input from all
of our stakeholders. The search for a new high school principal is an exciting
opportunity for us to work together to select Montclair High School’s next
leader.
In closing,
please know that I am excited to be part of this vibrant, diverse community.
Diversity is one of the driving forces that brought me here. I look forward to
collaborating with you to support my beliefs that
All Kids can Learn and
All Kids are Special which
will be integral to what I hope to be a long-standing relationship.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jonathan
Ponds
Superintendent of
Schools