Districts hire new business administrators

BY MARK ROSMAN
Staff Writer

There are changes coming to the administrative offices at two local school districts.

Sean P. Boyce, who was the business administrator and board secretary in the Freehold Township K-8 School District for seven years, has been hired for that same position in the Freehold Regional High School District.

Boyce will replace Joan Nesenkar Saylor, who retired from the FRHSD at the end of the 2006-07 school year.

Boyce's resignation from his position was accepted by the Freehold Township Board of Education on June 12. He began his new job at the FRHSD's administrative offices in Englishtown on Aug. 6.

Boyce will be leaving a district that has about 4,650 pupils and a budget of $64 million for the 2007-08 school year. The FRHSD has six high schools and an enrollment of about 11,800 pupils. The high school district's budget for the 2007-08 school year is $165 million.

"I am very pleased that Sean will be joining the Freehold Regional High School District. His credentials and experience clearly established him as a front-runner during the interview process. We look forward to working with him," Superintendent of Schools James Wasser said.

FRHSD public information officer Ilse Whisner said the district received 22 résumés for the position of business administrator-board secretary and 10 people were interviewed. Boyce will be paid $159,000 in his first year of employment.

Brian Boyle, who was the assistant superintendent for business in the Millstone Town-ship K-8 School District, has been hired to succeed Boyce as the business administrator and board secretary in Freehold Township. There, Boyle will be reunited with Freehold Township Superintendent of Schools William Setaro.

Boyle worked with Setaro when Setaro was the superintendent of schools in Millstone Township, which borders Freehold Township to the west.

Boyle has worked in Millstone Township since December 1997. His present salary was $138,281. He will be paid $150,000 in Freehold Township. The Millstone Board of Education is expected to accept his resignation on Aug. 13.

Setaro said he is pleased he will be working with Boyle again.

"He is an extremely bright and personable professional who is very dedicated and loyal," Setaro said. "He is an outstanding business administrator, and he is honest and trustworthy. We worked well together in the past and I expect it will continue here in Freehold Township."

Setaro said the position was open because Boyce resigned to become the new business administrator in the FRHSD.

Boyle will be leaving Millstone, which is a K-8 district with three schools and 1,740 pupils, for Freehold Township's K-8 district which has seven schools and 4,650 pupils. Millstone's budget for the 2007-08 school year is about $30 million. Freehold Township's budget for the 2007-08 school year is about $64 million.

Millstone Superintendent of Schools Mary Anne Donahue, who began working in the district in August 1997, recalled that Boyle arrived just a few months later.

"He is a wonderful colleague and also a friend," Donahue said. "I am certainly going to miss him. He is a gentleman and a professional and he has served the district well in his 10 years here. I know we will remain friends."

According to Setaro, Freehold Township had about 25 applicants for the business administrator's position and a committee interviewed eight candidates "who had the qualifications and experience that met our standards."

"The committee then moved three of those candidates to the next level, which was an in-basket activity, an interview with a principal and [Boyce] and finally, an interview with the superintendent," he said.

Setaro recommended that the board appoint Boyle and that recommendation was accepted on July 24. The appointment is effective Oct. 1.

The Freehold Township board was expected to name Bob DeVita the interim business administrator until Boyle comes on board.

In other business concerning the Freehold Township School District, the board approved the transfer of Richard Ginn to the position of assistant principal at the Eisenhower Middle School. Ginn was previously the assistant principal at the Barkalow Middle School.

Ginn's transfer was approved June 12 and is effective from July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008.

On July 24, the board hired Thomas Smith as the assistant principal at the Barkalow Middle School, effective date to be determined.

The board is accepting letters of interest from residents who would like to apply to fill a vacant seat on the panel. For more information call the board offices at (732) 462-8400.