Once again, Moorestown Township Public Schools District will need a new superintendent, as current Superintendent Timothy J. Rehm has decided to leave the school district. However, he leaves with regret.
Rehm submitted his letter of resignation to Board of Education President Kathy Goldenberg on Monday, July 27. The letter indicated his resignation would be effective Oct. 26.
“It is certainly with regret that I must leave this outstanding district,” Rehm said. “It has been nothing but a wonderful experience in the 16 months I have been here.”
Rehm completed a 36-year educational career in Cornwall, N.Y., before retiring and moving to Ocean County. He was looking for an interim position post-retirement when he came upon the Moorestown position. He applied and was hired as an interim superintendent for MTPS on Feb. 5, 2014. After a few months with MTPS, Rehm was offered the official position, and in May 2014, the board approved his appointment as superintendent, becoming official on July 1, 2014. His contract was a standard A5, three-year agreement.
“I accepted the position because it was a great district and I enjoyed working here,” Rehm said.
Through Rehm’s time with MTPS, he has accomplished a lot within the school district. The Building Excellence Bond Referendum was passed in September of last year, making way for “much needed work” such as infrastructure improvements, the installation of safety vestibules and a new stadium and turf field. Some of the projects have already started this summer.
He also helped continue the Common Core implementation, increased the one-to-one initiative with technology to seventh, eighth and ninth grade, and put together the security task force to standardize security plans for the district. Rehm also helped to work on the BOE’s strategic plan for the district, which it will introduce and consider adopting at the Aug. 11 meeting.
Despite his help, Rehm didn’t want to take all of the credit for these projects, saying everything was a team effort.
“It’s been a busy 16 months, and I was happy to be a part of those initiatives, but again, it was with great teamwork. Everything was done as a team,” Rehm said.
Rehm indicated his resignation was for personal reasons, family related, and in a release from Goldenberg, he said he has accepted a position as superintendent/principal in a district in Ocean County, closer to home. Rehm mentioned Moorestown was about an hour commute for him.
He said MTPS is a wonderful district with everyone — staff, administrators, teachers, parents and support staff — valuing education and working together to bring good education and challenges to eager students.
Rehm sees nothing but a great future for MTPS. He feels what is being done now will allow MTPS to continue to achieve and send students to the best colleges and careers.
“I wish each individual student, teacher, administrator and staff member nothing but the best of luck, and I know I’ll continue to read great things about Moorestown,” Rehm said.
Goldenberg said the board would like to acknowledge Rehm for his professionalism and thank him for his service.
Even though MTPS has a reputation for being one of the top performing districts, the position of superintendent has experienced a lot of turnover in recent years.
With Rehm’s departure, this will be the third superintendent who has left the school district within the past three years. The first was the retirement of John Bach in 2012 after five years with MTPS and the sudden resignation of Brian Betze in 2013.
The Moorestown BOE board plans to meet as soon as possible to discuss the method and timing for finding a new superintendent, Goldenberg said in her release. The board will consider its alternatives, including the appointment of an acting or interim superintendent for the immediate future.
