February 13, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Mahwah Schoen named district’s superintendent of schools by Frank J. McMahon C. Lauren Schoen, Ed.D, the superintendent of schools for the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District for the past four years, has notified her staff and the school district’s parents and guardians that she has resigned her position in order to accept the position of superintendent for the Mahwah School District. The Mahwah Board of Education is approving a fiveyear contract for Dr Schoen, which will extend from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2018. Her appointment is subject to a mutually agreeable employment contract and the approval of that contract by the Executive County Superintendent of Schools. Schoen will replace interim superintendent Karen A. Lake, Ed.D, who is completing her second year in that position following the retirement of former superintendent Charles Montesano Ed.D. The school district consists of six schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 and currently has 3,216 students. The Mahwah Board of Education welcomed her at a regular public meeting last week, but the financial details of Schoen’s employment in Mahwah have not yet been announced. Schoen earned $197,500 in the Ramapo Indian Hills School District, which has 2,304 students. The state’s current salary cap law, which was implemented in February 2011 by way of a commissioner of education regulation, will impact Schoen’s potential salary in Mahwah. Under the regulation, the salary caps range from $125,000 for districts with fewer than 250 students, rising incrementally to $175,000 for districts with 6,501 to 10,000 students. The salary cap for a superintendent in Mahwah is $165,000 plus $2,500 because the district includes a high school. Schoen attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, but decided instead to pursue a career in the field of education. After receiving an honorable discharge from the academy, Schoen went on to earn an undergraduate degree in education from William Paterson University. She graduated with a bachelor of arts in education and political science. After graduation, Schoen taught at the Wandell School in Saddle River. During that time, she earned her master’s degree in administration and supervision at Saint Peters College in Jersey City. Shortly after receiving her master’s, Schoen accepted a position as vice principal at Jefferson Township Middle School in Oak Ridge. Two years later, she was hired as principal of Lincoln School in Hasbrouck Heights. She went on to serve as assistant superintendent for Curriculum in that district. In 2002, Schoen was appointed superintendent in the Rochelle Park district. In January 2006, Schoen earned her doctoral degree from Seton Hall University in the field of K-12 administration and supervision. Schoen advised that her last official day in Ramapo Indian Hills will be May 15. The regional school board will soon be discussing a search for a new superintendent. “My four years in Ramapo Indian Hills have been both enjoyable and rewarding,” Schoen stated in her message to the RIH community. “I consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to serve as your superintendent. The best aspect of my time in Ramapo Indian Hills has been the opportunity to work with dedicated staff members, motivated students, supportive parents, and board of education members who are truly interested in what is best for our district and our students. I will take with me many fond memories.” When Schoen became superintendent in Ramapo Indian Hills in July 2009, she said her long-term goals for the district were to increase student achievement and the use of technology, and to improve the district’s “advanced” and “proficient” scores on the High School Proficiency Assessment tests in language arts literacy and mathematics, while decreasing the number of students who show partial proficiency on those tests. She also said she wanted to prepare the students in the district for the global economy and the global job market. Some initiatives she introduced included the Italian IV, Graphic Design II, and AP Statistics courses. In addition, a new college planning software program called Naviance was introduced that allowed the district to send mid-year reports, including course recommendations and transcripts, to college placement officers. Schoen replaced former RIH Superintendent Paul Saxton, who retired from the district in 2008 after serving for 11 years. Saxton is credited with resolving the controversy that existed for 26 years over the policy of splitting Franklin Lakes students between the district’s two high schools. The RIH school board must now begin the task of finding a permanent replacement for Schoen at the new salary cap limit for superintendents in school districts of this size.The board is expected to appoint an interim superintendent while that search is conducted.