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Hopewell Valley Regional School District Responds to High School Principal Resignation

by Mary Galioto

Yesterday, November 30, the principal of Hopewell Valley Central High School, Michael Daher, announced his resignation as of December 31, 2015.

In response to the announcement, Hopewell Valley Regional School District Superintendent Tom Smith issued the following to the members of the high school community regarding Principal Daher’s resignation and replacement:

Mr. Daher is an outstanding principal who has spent the past ten years leading Central High School to great success, while always putting students at the forefront of his decisions.

20086981382FFECFE5Mr. Daher intended to resign prior to the start of this school year; however, given the recent transitions at CHS, I asked him to remain until the building was stabilized. We have agreed that now is a good time to begin the transition.  On behalf of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, I thank him for his dedication to our students and I wish him well in the next phase of his life – He will be missed.

I would like to take this opportunity to share our plan for finding a permanent principal for Central High School.

At the December 14 Board of Education meeting, I will recommend Mr. Charles Rudnick as interim principal to carry out the duties of Central High School principal until we complete our search for a permanent replacement. Mr. Rudnick served as the principal of West Windsor – Plainsboro High School South prior to his retirement, so he is quite comfortable leading a school like Central High School.  After we return from winter break, I will send a follow-up email providing you an opportunity to meet Mr. Rudnick.

The search process:

We will advertise the principal position in the early spring; this is traditionally the best time to search for candidates. Successful candidates will be interviewed by a committee of parents, students, staff members and district administrators.  Our proposed timeline is as follows (all dates subject to change):

  • Between March 15-30, the CHS principal position will advertised via local and national outlets.
  • Between March 15-30, two meetings will be held at Central High school to receive community feedback regarding the preferred qualities of the next principal.
  • Between April 1-15, a committee of parents, students, staff members and district administration will be chosen to interview potential candidates. Parent participants for the committee will be chosen at random from those who are interested (details will be shared in the early spring).
  • Between April 15 – May 15 – Interviews and possible site visits for finalists will take place.
  • May 15 – A finalist is recommended to the Board of Education.
  • July – The new principal will start on or about July 1, 2016.

The students, families and staff of Central High School remain our focus during this transition and we will do our best to ensure that it is as smooth as possible. We are committed to finding the right individual who will support our outstanding students and the excellent work of the Central High School staff members and I believe the process outlined above will lead us to that individual.  I will provide you with additional updates as we begin the search process.

Sincerely,

Thomas A. Smith Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

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