Ricki Budelman, principal of Solomon Schechter Academy of Ocean and Monmouth Counties, will head the school’s Judaic studies department when classes resume in the fall.
Photo by Jill Huber
June 24, 2008
The Solomon Schechter Academy of Ocean and Monmouth Counties is restructuring its top administration in response to demographic and budget challenges.
The Conservative Jewish day school in Howell, which until now had a principal as its head of school, will now divide the top leadership role between a principal of secular studies and a head of Judaic studies, who will serve as co-equal administrators.
Current principal Ricki Budelman has assumed the position of head of Judaic studies, while the school’s board of trustees has appointed Paul J. Krauss of Toms River as interim principal of secular studies.
Krauss will remain as the interim principal of secular studies until June 30, 2009. A committee of board members is conducting a search for a new head principal who will oversee both the secular and Judaic components.
Krauss, who was superintendent of schools in Tewksbury Township until his retirement in the mid-1980s (he subsequently worked in the human resources department of a private-sector company for 12 years), officially began his new position at Solomon Schechter on June 1. When classes resume in September, he will spend three days each week at the academy, while Budelman will be on site two days every week.
Budelman, a Toms River resident who has been the academy’s principal since 2005 and began teaching at the facility in 1982, originally planned to retire last year and had informed the 14-member board of trustees of her plans. However, she agreed to postpone her departure until the school was on a more solid footing, she told NJ Jewish News.
“I’ve been working in this profession for a long time — I’ve been teaching Torah classes and religious school classes since I was 17,” Budelman said. “My husband, Jack, and I had decided that it was time to make our lives more flexible so that we would have more chances to visit friends and family. But this school has been very good to me, and when I was asked to stay on a little longer, there was no way I could have refused.”
Paul Krauss is the new interim principal of secular studies at Solomon Schechter Academy in Howell.
Photo courtesy Stella Stanway
The total school population is now 70 students, but the student body once exceeded 135. This spring, there were five members of the eighth-grade graduating class; four years ago, there were 21 graduates.
In the past, most of the academy students came from Lakewood, but the growth of the fervently Orthodox community there has made it difficult for the Conservative school to attract new students from the Lakewood area, Budelman said.
Ten years ago, two school buses were needed to transport Lakewood students to the school. Now, there are only four Lakewood students who attend the academy, Budelman said.
Increasing enrollment will be a significant part of Krauss’ mission.
“I think my experience as an educator and a school superintendent will help in the area of marketing this academy,” Krauss told NJ Jewish News. “It’s become clear that students here get a strong knowledge base that also generates a lot of self-confidence. But there are new methodologies, such as teacher training, which can help enhance the school’s reputation.”
Spread the word
A member of the board of directors of the Toms River chapter of Habitat for Humanity, Krauss writes grants and fulfills public speaking engagements on the organization’s behalf. His community outreach skills will help spread the word about all that the academy has to offer, he said.
“The greatest challenge may be expanding the geographic area of recruitment,” said Krauss. “If we can widen and expand that area, the result will be increased enrollment.”
The academy is a special school that warrants the development of a special marketing package, he said.
“Part of the answer is in expanding the school’s name value,” said Krauss. “I’d like to see us expand the visibility of the school, while maintaining an emphasis on a solid curriculum and the involvement of faculty members and parents.”
Krauss said he hopes to have a marketing plan in place by October that will reflect input from the staff, board members, and parents.
“There will be an emphasis on the unique qualities of this school, such as its small class sizes and strong devotion to secular and Judaic studies,” Krauss said. “We’re able to tailor our programs to meet the individual needs of the students, and this presents them with a genuine incentive to learn.”
And the opportunity for positive outcomes is well within reach, said board president Herbert Birman of Toms River.
“Paul Krauss has a strong administrative background, and with Ricki Budelman’s skill in teaching Judaic studies, we have the best of both worlds,” said Birman. “Each brings different skills to the table, and that will help us with the transition as we search for a single candidate who can handle secular and Judaic studies. We’re on a sound financial footing now, and broadening the appeal of the school will be a priority in the coming year.”
--TOP--
- Comment: comments@njjewishnews.com
