The Neshaminy School District’s next superintendent will come from New Jersey.
According the Bucks County Intermediate Unit No. 22, which assisted Neshaminy in its search for a new leader, Joseph Jones III in the final candidate for the job.
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“The Board is pleased to announce Joseph Jones III as its final candidate for the position of Superintendent of Schools for the Neshaminy School District. The Board intends to name Joseph Jones III to this position at an upcoming Public School Board Meeting, subject to the execution of a mutually-acceptable Contract of Employment,” according to a press release.
Jones will tour the district that educates 8.400 students from Hulmville, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Lower Southampton, Penndel and Middletown in the coming weeks along with Acting Superintendent Dr. Gloria Hancock.
The public will have a formal introduction to Jones during a public forum on Wednesday, May 18 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Poquessing Middle School located at 300 Heights Lane in Feasterville. The forum, which will be recorded for broadcast, will be led by BCIU Executive Director Dr. Mark Hoffman. The school board has elected to allow the community to submit up to two questions for Jones. Questions can be submitted until Tuesday, May 10 at noon at http://bciu.formstack.com/forms/neshaminy_communityforum.
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Jones worked his way up from the classroom to become principal of a high school in New Jersey. He previously served as assistant superintendent of the 1,900-student Northern Burlington County, New Jersey Regional School District and has worked as superintendent of the 1,500-student Woodbury, New Jersey City Public Schools since 2005.
“Due to my deep connections with the Woodbury school community, I have tremendously mixed emotions about such a move. However, it is the right thing for me at this stage of my career and for my family. I will miss everything about my Woodbury experience,” Jones said in a statement.
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Coming from the two smaller districts to Neshaminy will be a change for the administrator whose most recent school district budget was nearly $30 million. The approved 2015-2016 budget for Neshaminy was $175.7 million. Neshaminy also has several thousand more students than Woodbury Public Schools have enrolled.
Jones, according to his resume, has a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and received his MBA from Temple University’s Fox School of Business. He notes his current district has won accolades, including one for academic achievement, during his time as its leader.
NJ.com reported in 2015 that Jones was named the countywide superintendent of the year and was named South Jersey Regional Superintendent of the Year by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.
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Neshaminy has been without a permanent leader since former Superintendent Dr. Robert Copeland left for the Lower Merion School District in Montgomery County toward the end of last school year. Copeland’s interim replacement, Dr. David Baugh, left Neshaminy’s temporary position after a few weeks to take a five-year superintendent deal at the Centennial School District. Hankcock was then appointed by the school board to fill the superintendent position until a permanent hire could be made. Hancock has told LevittownNow.com she had no interest in applying for Neshaminy’s superintendent position.
