December 14, 2022
From the Desk of the President of the Harrington Park Board of Education.
The Board met this past Thursday for the last session of the 2022 calendar year. It was also the last BOE meeting for Dr. Fried as the Superintendent of Harrington Park School District.
It was an emotional night filled with congratulatory words from current and previous board members, borough officials, and community members. Clearly, HP has been blessed with outstanding and steadfast leadership from Dr. Fried for the past 17 years. We all wish him the best at Ramapo College!
In addition to recognizing Dr. Fried, the Board would also like to acknowledge and congratulate Ms. Sabo and Ms. Srivastava on their retirement at the end of the month. We thank them both for decades of service to the District and will be honoring them at our annual September Board meeting.
The Board confirmed Mr. Herbert as the Interim Principal for the 6-month term starting on January 1, 2023. We look forward to Mr. Herbert stepping up and taking on the Interim Principal role during this transitional period.
For the vacant Assistant Principal position, the staff has been busy going through the job posting and interviews. More details on this will be communicated shortly. The Board and the administrative staff are aiming to approve an Interim Assistant Principal at our January BOE meeting.
In addition to regularly scheduled meetings, the Board has met several times to prepare for the permanent Superintendent search. Solicitations for search firms have now been completed, and the Board will be meeting this week with three potential firms to understand their depth of service and associated costs. The Board intends to choose one of these firms to begin the search process in early January. And then, with that assistance, we can begin the key process of gathering input and comments from our parents, teachers, and the community.
The Student Council representatives attended the meeting and provided an update for the Board. I am proud that HP students Lead the Way by helping others and they did just that during Thanksgiving by helping 250 families in need through Apostles House in Newark. The Student Council also voiced their appreciation for retiring teacher, Ms. Sabo, and wished Dr. Fried well on his new opportunity.
As the Board will reorganize in January as we do each year, this will be my last letter to the community as Board President. It has been my pleasure to serve you as President of BOE this year. I am proud to be part of the outstanding BOE members and staff who ushered in normalcy after the pandemic, as well as got some much-needed projects underway. Lastly, I hope I have provided some insights into school affairs through these letters.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Stephen Hahm