Neshaminy Superintendent Resigns

From the BCCT.

Kadri to resign as superintendent
School board members said they haven’t met to select an interim superintendent or possible replacement.
By RACHEL CANELLI

Neshaminy Superintendent Paul Kadri submitted his 90-day resignation Thursday after the Groton Public School District in Groton, Conn. agreed to hire him as its new superintendent, Kadri confirmed Thursday.
Groton school board members Wednesday night approved a three-year, roughly $165,000-a-year contract with Kadri. He’ll replace a longtime administrator in the Groton district. That salary is about $10,000 less than he’s making in Neshaminy, he said.

With 5,200 students, Groton is roughly half the size of the Neshaminy district, officials said.

“Obviously, this is a very bittersweet emotion that I have right now,” Kadri said from his cell phone as he visited the Connecticut district’s 11 schools to meet students and staff.

“I genuinely love the Neshaminy system and community,” he said. “I will miss working with them. But I’m very excited about this community and I look forward to building the same type of relationships. This just seems like a fantastic fit up here in terms of my skills and philosophy.”

Kadri, 43, came to Neshaminy from the Moorestown School District in Burlington County in 2006. He signed a four-year contract with Neshaminy. Earlier this year, he was a finalist for a similar spot in Michigan, administrators said.

“I, along with many in the Neshaminy community, am very disappointed to see Mr. Kadri leave,” said Neshaminy board member Joseph Blasch. “I wish him well and I think his ‘footprint’ will be here for a long time. I can only hope that his vision for the district will somehow be carried on.”

With a background in finance, technology and assessment, Kadri was described by parents and residents as studentfocused. Some have credited him and his administration with recently reaching budget goals and improving the high school’s standardized test scores.

Blasch said he understood Kadri’s decision to leave, since “there hasn’t always been harmony between some of the board members and Mr. Kadri.”

That discord was evident at board meetings. A few board members, including board President Richard Eccles, have disagreed with Kadri over hiring processes, the budget and recent state exam results.

“I want to wish Mr. Kadri the best in his new endeavor,” Eccles said.

“The Neshaminy School District is presently involved and facing a great many educational and financial challenges in the coming year. The Neshaminy community is very fortunate to have a number of highly-qualified educational professionals that are more than ready for the challenges that will face our new superintendent,” Eccles added. “It is very important that whoever is chosen that he or she can hit the ground running and make the decisions that will propel this district to the prominence that this district, the children and community deserve.”

Regarding his job hunt, Kadri previously had said he and the Neshaminy school board lacked similar expectations and priorities and it was in the board’s best interest for him to move on.

Neshaminy school board members said they have yet to meet to pick an interim superintendent or possible replacement. Before Kadri was hired, Assistant Superintendent Lou Muenker served on an interim basis, but officials didn’t specify who would be considered.