Crowley will serve for just six months
OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City School District continues struggling to find its next superintendent, appointing an interim Dec. 7 for another six months.
The Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Terry Crowley as interim superintendent, replacing Scott McCartney.
Crowley, an Ocean City resident, joins the school district starting Jan. 1. His contract expires June 30.
According to a news release from the district, Crowley has extensive experience in public education with an emphasis on the distinctive needs of southern New Jersey districts.
His career spans more than 50 years, in which he worked as an English teacher, secondary school assistant principal, secondary school principal and superintendent of schools. Crowley also was executive county superintendent of schools for Cape May County.
“I’m looking forward to working with the Ocean City School District and helping the teachers and staff continue to deliver the outstanding education they provide,” Crowley stated in the release. “I am also happy to be able to help the district in its search for a new superintendent.”
Crowley earned a master’s degree in education administration from Rowan University and a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from LaSalle University. He is associated with a variety of professional affiliations such as the New Jersey State Board of Examiners, American Association of School Administrators and New Jersey Association of School Administrators.
“Mr. Crowley brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the district,” Board of Education President Chris Halliday said. “We are grateful he is willing to step in and help continue the work of Dr. McCartney in the day-to-day operations and in finding a new leader for our schools.”
Crowley was superintendent of the Kingsway Regional School District for nearly 26 years, from 1990 to 2016. He has worked as an educational consultant since 1994 and was executive county superintendent from 2007 to 2010. Most recently, Crowley served as state monitor with the New Jersey Department of Education since 2016, overseeing the Woodbine School District.
Following the short but tumultuous tenure of Matthew Friedman, McCartney accepted the position of interim superintendent for six months, which was assumed to be enough time to hire a contracted replacement.
With the Board of Education unable to do so, another interim had to be hired to carry the board through the rest of the school year and help choose its next leader.
The district has been in a state of flux since the retirement of longtime superintendent Kathleen Taylor in August 2021.
Thomas Baruffi was appointed interim superintendent. Baruffi served numerous superintendent roles throughout his educational career, including for Linwood Public Schools for roughly eight years.
The search resulted in the hiring of Friedman, who had served for at most about a half-year before deciding to search for a new job.
At a special meeting April 18, 2023, the school board unanimously agreed on its next steps to launch the search for a superintendent to lead the preK–12 school district.
At the time, board president Chris Halliday, the district took the first step today, Friday, April 21, by posting for the position through the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and on the school district’s website.
“The board of education has experience conducting a superintendent search and will draw from lessons learned to find an exceptional, dedicated leader for our district,” Halliday stated in a news release last spring. “We are resolute in our commitment to hire a superintendent who understands the distinctive needs of our South Jersey community and shares our ambition to prepare Ocean City students for success today and well into their futures.”
Friedman was hired last spring and took over the Ocean City School District last summer. The district went for a year with an interim superintendent of schools after Taylor retired. The board hired Friedman, who was then an assistant superintendent in the South Orange and Maplewood School District.
Halliday confirmed in March that Friedman had applied for the position as superintendent of the Quakertown (Pa.) Community School District.
McCartney oversaw his final meeting as interim superintendent Dec. 7.
“He’s done a great job of coming in and stabilizing the ship and educating board members on a lot of different things,” Halliday said.
“Dr. McCartney has shared his expertise with us, and I think we can all agree that his experience in the field of education was really necessary in our district and we are very grateful for your sure hand and your kind leadership,” board member Jacqueline McAlister said.
School board solicitor Michael Stanton also chimed in.
“I’ve met a lot of professionals in my life in all different areas. You are a professional in every sense of the word. You really have a great demeanor about you no matter the situation. I really respect you for that and thank you so much for being here,” he said.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve this community as interim superintendent over the last six months. It has been a pleasure to meet your children, our talented administration, faculty and staff, and many of you,” McCartney said. “One of the things I have enjoyed during my career in education is the sense of hope and encouragement that comes from working with students and a younger generation. In today’s world, when I say I work in the education field, I am often confronted with the statement “kids today…” and that is usually followed by some negative perceptions.
“I typically respond with ‘Let me tell you about some of the kids I meet each day.’ Ocean City has a lot to be proud of in this regard — we have some exceptional children.”
During public comment, Victor Staniec of Fairness in Taxes praised McCartney.
“I want to thank Dr. McCartney. We’ve missed having a superintendent that knew what they were doing for a number of years now. Thank you for showing us again what it’s like to have somebody who knew what they were doing leading this. I hate to see you go,” he said.
It also was the final meeting for three board members, one who chose not to seek re-election — Joe Clark — and two who lost their bids — Cecilia Gallelli-Keyes and Robin Shaffer.
Earlier in the evening, Shaffer spoke before City Council, saying he planned to make a motion at the school board meeting to hire Lauren Gunther as superintendent.
“The superintendent search process was completely bungled, to be honest. To bring an interim in who could only serve six months was not a good idea and it looks like we are going to repeat that move tonight,” Shaffer said. “Our school district has struggled to find a new superintendent. We need to stop making excuses for why that is the case. Ocean City is a great place when adults are in charge and children aren’t running amok. It is America’s Greatest Family Resort when we embrace all of our children instead of circling the wagons only around those families with a muli-generational Ocean City pedigree.”
Staniec thanked Shaffer for his service on the board.
“Over my 19 years of attending these meetings, I often see school board members who just sit there all the time. … Shaffer has been a breath of fresh air with his comments, with his questions and he brings to light these resolutions,” Staniec said.
He also mentioned Gallelli-Keyes’ active engagement in the school district and Clark’s transparency while on the board.
The school board also recognized its top teachers and support staff members:
Ocean City Primary School Educator of the Year Jen Gatto, Educational Services Professional of the Year Ivory Williams and Support Staff Member of the Year Maryna Trajkovska.
Ocean City Intermediate School Educator of the Year Megan O’Neill and Support Staff Member of the Year Suni Wood.
Ocean City High School Educator of the Year Catherine Georges and Support Staff Member of the Year Anthony Johnson.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff