Salvo Assumes Superintendent’s Post July 1

COURT HOUSE – July 1, 2014 will be the first day of school for newly-chosen Superintendent of Middle Township Schools Dr. David Salvo. And he can’t wait to get started.
He will succeed Superintendent Michael Kopakowski, who is retiring. While Salvo will be carrying forward the strategic goals established during Kopakowski’s time.
Salvo is easy going, friendly, open and accessible. He started his educational career after graduating from Rowan University in 1990. He was a teacher of special education students. It is a position that requires stamina and an extra dose of patience. From Edgewood Regional High School, in Atco, he advanced, obtaining a Masters from his alma mater and eventually a doctorate in education in Innovation and Leadership from Wilmington (Del.) University in 2006.
Salvo is no stranger to Middle Township or the school system here. He was assistant principal at Middle Township High School from 1995 to 1997 and then principal from 1998 until 2007.
In his new position he wants to make effective connections to the community at large, the educational community (i.e. teachers and staff) and key members of the leadership community in the township.
Parents are the key. “I am always looking for more parental involvement. Parents are essential to any student’s success,” said Salvo.
Next year, the 2014-2015 year is the first year of School Choice. The district had 29 slots and 22 were immediately taken. Salvo said that enrollment at Middle Township’s High School is down. From a high of 1,500 in the 1990s it is around 800 students. “The number of students coming from sending districts has decreased,” Salvo explained.
Salvo’s philosophy has always been one of openness and communication. “I will always be available,” he promised and that included parents as well as staff, teachers and taxpayers who fund the enterprise.
He wished the outgoing superintendent, Kopakowski, well and expressed respect for his predecessor. He also offered warm thanks to the school board that hired him. ”I am humbled and honored. This is the culmination of my efforts in education over the years,” he declared.
The Strategic Plan is a five-year work. It is in the process of being achieved. He offered the following statement on the Strategic Planning goals:
“Strategic Planning – the goal for Middle Township Public Schools was to conduct a strategic planning process for the purpose of defining the decisions and actions that shape and guide the future direction for the school district over the next several years.
“The planning process included targeted and prioritized action steps to move the district forward. The identified four arrears of the strategic plan are: Community Engagement, Budget and Finance, Curriculum, and School Climate. Our goal is to have the strategic plan approved this summer. I would like to thank the employees, parents, students, community members, business owners, and government leaders who have participated in the strategic planning process.”
His position on Common Core, a controversial educational plan being pushed nationally by the Department of Education and large corporations, was that he planned to implement it unless directed otherwise by the powers that be in Trenton.
Common Core has a determined, passionate opposition in South Jersey. And it is possible that the state will reverse itself on Common Core as opposition mounts among educators and citizens.
In either case Salvo will be ready to implement it if it stays or follow whatever plan is passed. “We’re ready for whatever comes,” he declared.
Whatever challenges come before him Salvo has been preparing his entire life. His life’s work has been the education of the young. Now more than ever he has the chance to implement his vision and the principal is eager for school to start. His pencil is sharpened.
To contact Helen McCaffrey, email hmccaffrey@cmcherald.com.