Moorestown Township’s board of education approved the appointment of Joseph Bollendorf as interim superintendent at its Dec. 13 meeting.
Bollendorf has 39 years of experience in public education, and recently served as the Superintendent of Schools for Washington Township Public Schools (Gloucester County) prior to retiring in June 2022. He currently serves as the President of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and has been a member of their executive board for the past seven years.
Bollendorf is also a consultant for Rowan College of New Jersey, where he strives to help address the ever-growing problem of teacher shortages throughout the state and is engaged in work related to developing a Model Code of Ethics for Educators.
“Moorestown has a great reputation,” Bollendorf said. “The board is very committed to providing a top education for their students and for their community, and that really resonates with me. If I can help them over the course of the next five months while they search for a permanent superintendent, I’m happy to do so.”
Bollendorf will serve in the interim role through June 30. He shared what he’s anticipating for the new school year.
“I think the first goal will be to see them through this round of budgeting,” he noted. “I know that they just recently settled their teacher contract … but I’ll be coming on board right in the midst of the budget cycle, so we’ll be seeing our way through that.
“Obviously, there’s going to be a period of time getting acclimated to the schools and community,” he added. “I’ve already toured all the schools and met the principals, and I just couldn’t have been more impressed with what it was that I got to witness and see.”
Bollendorf is prepared to work with the board regarding district challenges or obstacles in 2023.
“I’m a great believer in public education in the sense that each individual community who elects their board members should have the ability to present a public education that’s representative of that community,” he explained, “and has things in place that they hold near and dear in terms of their own set of values, their own set of feelings as it relates to what it is education should look like.”
Bollendorf also wants to keep lines of communication open with district parents.
“They can expect that I will be somebody who will be sharing our information and keeping them in the loop on things as we move forward in time,” he said. “I think the most important thing for them to know is, they’re getting somebody who cares deeply about their kids.
“I care … deeply about our education system and I care deeply about our teachers.”
