Schools
Raymond Gonzalez Up For Vote As Westfield Superintendent
After 14 years under Margaret Dolan's leadership, the district may get a new schools chief from Westwood.

WESTFIELD, NJ — At its virtual meeting on Tuesday evening, the Westfield Board of Education voted on a successor to Dr. Margaret Dolan, who is retiring in July after 14 years as superintendent of Westfield Public Schools. An agenda posted on the district website said Westwood Superintendent of Schools Raymond Gonzalez would be their choice.
[UPDATE: Westfield Taps Westwood's Superintendent For $231K]
"Approve appointment and contract for Dr. Raymond Gonzalez, Superintendent of Schools, for the period 8/1/21 through 6/30/26 in accordance with the written approval received from the Executive County Superintendent of Schools. Approve the annual salary of $231,540 for the period 8/1/21 through 6/30/22," said the measure to be up for a vote.
Find out what's happening in Westfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The link to the meeting is here: https://westfieldnjk12.webex.com/westfieldnjk12/onstage/g.php?MTID=e26a88d04223bc9f0ac8a034d61317aa9 The meeting can also be accessed by phone at: 1-415-655-0001, Access code: 120 585 3576#, followed by # as the code.
More instructions on how to access it can be found at www.westfieldnjk12.org under the board tab.
Find out what's happening in Westfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The board was only told Tuesday morning that the Interim Executive Union County Superintendent of Schools had approved the candidate’s contract, a required part of the hiring process, according to a district spokesperson.
During the selection process, board members reviewed applications of 33 candidates (28 of them from New Jersey), then held a series of virtual private meetings to interview the top contenders, according to the district.
The New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), the district’s consultant appointed to conduct the national search, sought community and staff input during the process through online surveys and a virtual community input session.
Information related to the search, including the job posting with required qualifications and expertise, is available on the Superintendent Search page on the board tab of the district website.
Dolan announced in January that she would retire. READ MORE: Westfield Superintendent To Retire After 14 Years.
Westfield High School was recently named among the top 50 high schools in New Jersey, according to a new ranking by U.S. News and World Report. READ MORE: Westfield Named Among Top 50 High Schools In New Jersey
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