Credit: Submitted
A New Jersey superintendent is the finalist to lead the Pennsbury School District.
Dr. Thomas Smith, who currently serves as the superintendent of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District located in Pennington, New Jersey, is the finalist candidate for the soon-to-be-vacant superintendent job in the Pennsbury School District.
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The school board is slated to vote on Smith’s hiring at their meeting on Thursday, April 15. The two sides are still working to hammer out details on a contract.
“I am very excited to join the Pennsbury School community. Pennsbury has a strong reputation and from the comprehensive interview experience with the Board, I know that we share the same vision of providing a world-class education for Pennsbury students. I look forward to working very hard for the community and partnering with the outstanding staff in Pennsbury to promote student achievement in academics, the arts, activities, and athletics,” Smith said in a statement.
Smith was named the finalist for the role after an “extensive search process” handled by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. The search featured feedback from the school board, the public, and other stakeholders. A survey sent to the public received more than 1,100 responses.
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There were 22 candidates who submitted applications for the high-salary position and 10 were chosen for meet-and-greet interviews. Five candidates advanced to a second round and Smith was the candidate to move forward with a “robust” final interview with the school board, according to a statement from the Bucks County Intermediate Unit.
The intermediate unit provided the following biography for Smith:
Dr. Smith has worked as a teacher, coach, and at all levels of administration in both small and large school districts. He currently serves as Superintendent at Hopewell Valley Regional School District located in Pennington, NJ. He also teaches graduate-level courses in education.
Dr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications, two master’s degrees in education from The College of New Jersey, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Seton Hall University. He serves as the president of the Mercer County Administrators Association for the past seven years and was named Mercer County Superintendent of Year in 2018. Dr. Smith’s recent work has focused on social-emotional learning and providing mental health programs for students. His other efforts include improving the cultural competency of staff and students and improving academic opportunities for all students. He lives with his wife and three children in Allentown, NJ.
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The school board will host a community forum with Smith on Wednesday, April 14 at Keller Hall at Pennsbury High School West in Falls Township. The forum will be from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It will be led by Bucks County Intermediate Unit Executive Director Dr. Mark Hoffman.
“Due to COVID mitigation efforts, indoor seating capacity is limited, and will be available on a first-come first served basis. Six-foot social distancing is required at all times while inside the building and all individuals entering the building must wear a face covering. Please check the school district website for information to sign up to attend the event in person. In order to allow maximum community participation, the event will also be live-streamed and recorded. More information on accessing a live-stream or recording of the event will be available on the school district website closer to the date of the event,” officials said.
Residents are able to ask questions of Smith by submitting them at https://Go.BucksIU.org/Pennsbury.
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Once approved by the school board, Smith would begin his work in the district by August 1 at the latest.
Pennsbury Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula surprised the school board last September when he announced he planned to retire by the end of the school year. He cited that he had been dealing with non-life-threatening “personal medical issues since January.” In emails later made public, he told other area school leaders he planned to work in New Jersey, where he purchased a shore house.
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Four administrators raised concerns about the district’s operations during Gertzula’s time in the district. Three of those complaints led to lawsuits with serious allegations. One lawsuit is settled and two remain ongoing. The district has been, at least partly, eyed in a federal and state investigation that spans Bucks and Montgomery counties and investigators’ interest in Pennsbury has not been made clear. The district has referred to the probe as “non-existent ‘law enforcement investigations.’”
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