Englewood’s New Assistant Superintendent to Meet Public Friday

Englewood parents will have two chances to meet the school district’s new assistant superintendent Friday.

Michelle James, who was appointed to the post by the Englewood Board of Education on Nov. 29, will be on hand at the Dwight Morrow High School library for a meet-and-greet at 9 a.m. Friday morning and again at 7 p.m. Friday evening.

Superintendent Donald Carlisle said it’s a chance for people to have a cup of coffee with James and get to know her a little better.

“We’ve already had our administrators get together with her; we’ve had our teachers and staff do the same,” Carlisle said Thursday. “So this is an opportunity for the general public. I think you will see that she’s going to bring us some clarity that we certainly need in our school system.”

James has served for her entire career in Paterson, first as a principal and later as an assistant superintendent in Paterson.

She was appointed to serve as assistant superintendent in the Englewood Public School District through June 30, 2013 and will be paid a prorated annual salary of $145,000.

“Experience matters,” Carlisle previously said of James’s appointment. “I think it’s everything, in fact. We’re not in a position here in Englewood to necessarily groom.”

James said she would help move the district forward through “dedication, hard work, perseverance and accountability.”

“If you have someone who’s coming from a district like Paterson that’s been able to improve student achievement at an accelerated rate, you have an asset,” James said on the day the school board appointed her.

James will be at the high school library at 9 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. Friday to meet with parents and community members in an informal setting.

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