BARNEGAT – Barnegat parents, staff members and residents had plenty to say about what they wanted in their next superintendent, both in conversations with the Board of Education and through survey responses. Among their hopes was finding someone who already knew the district, understood the community and was invested in its future.
The board appears to have found that person without looking beyond its own schools.
Josh Toddings, a longtime Barnegat educator and administrator who grew up in the township, has been selected as the district’s next superintendent. Toddings is scheduled to move from his role as principal of the Russell O. Brackman School and take over the district’s top post September 14.
Toddings, 51, was the only internal candidate among a field he understood to have initially included about 20 applicants. In its August 17 announcement, the Board of Education pointed to his long tenure as one of his strengths.
The board said Toddings’ 24 years in the district provided him with “valuable insight into the day-to-day needs of our students, staff, families, and administrators.”
For Toddings, knowing Barnegat appears to be as much about knowing its people as its schools. His years in the district have allowed him to build relationships with teachers, administrators, parents and community partners.
“Students who I knew years ago are now parents whose own children attend Barnegat schools,” he said. “People have gotten to know me and know if I say I’m going to do something, they know I’m going to follow through with my word.”
That familiarity reflects what the board sought when former Superintendent Dr. Brian Latwis announced he was leaving Barnegat to become superintendent of the Ocean City School District. “You wouldn’t want somebody to walk in and take over our district without even being familiar with our staff, our schools, or anything else,” Board President Scott Sarno said earlier in the search.
A Career That Came Back To Education
Toddings grew up in Barnegat and played local sports before graduating from Monsignor Donovan High School. He attended Georgia Southern University, where he played football.
After college, he taught for a year in Georgia before moving into the private sector, working for Pfizer and later on Wall Street. He returned to education following the financial downturn after the September 11 terrorist attacks, first in New Egypt and then in Barnegat.
He said his finance and sales experience broadened the perspective he brings to the superintendent’s job. He also holds a master’s degree in administration and the required administrative certifications.
Becoming superintendent was not a longtime goal. Toddings said he thought becoming a principal might be the final step in his career until Latwis announced his departure and people began encouraging him to apply. “It just made me kind of look at it from a different lens,” Toddings said.
He began his Barnegat career as a special education teacher before becoming a vice principal at the high school. He has served as principal of the Joseph T. Donahue, Cecil S. Collins and Russell O. Brackman schools. He also spent nearly a year as interim director of special education.
Leadership Style
Toddings describes his leadership style as collaborative and empathetic but said listening does not mean avoiding difficult decisions. “You can’t just be the sledgehammer,” he said. “Every situation’s different.”
“I’m not a pushover. I’ve made hard decisions. I’ve told people no,” he added. “But I think it’s always been within an honest conversation. It’s been within truth, and it’s been with working with that person and collaborating.”
Toddings said that approach will extend districtwide, but his long relationships in Barnegat will not prevent him from making decisions he believes are necessary. “If it’s the right business decision and it’s best for the district and the kids, then that’s the decision that has to be made,” he said.
A New Team
Interim administrators will open the school year in several key positions, giving Toddings an opportunity to help assemble much of his permanent administrative team.
Susan Speirs has been appointed interim principal of the Cecil S. Collins School, replacing Michelle Johns, who accepted a supervisory position with the Ocean City School District, where Latwis is now superintendent.
John P. Russo has been appointed interim principal of the Robert L. Horbelt School, replacing Dr. Joseph Saxton, who retired after 43 years in education. Saxton began his career as an English teacher in Lacey Township and later helped open Barnegat High School as a vice principal in 2004.
An interim replacement has not yet been named for Toddings at Brackman. Helen Payne will remain interim director of curriculum and instruction as the school year begins.
Speirs, Russo and Payne are retired educators serving temporarily and, Toddings said, are not expected to become permanent replacements. Several have superintendent-level experience, something he considers an advantage during his own transition.
The temporary appointments were intentional. Interim Superintendent Kevin J. Carroll was brought in to guide the district through the transition, but Sarno previously said permanent appointments to major vacancies would be left to the next superintendent.
That gives Toddings the opportunity to help choose people who could remain in those positions for years and reinforces his desire to make Barnegat a place where good employees want to build careers. “I want to reestablish stability here,” he said. “I want people to come to Barnegat and stay here. I don’t want people to leave here to go somewhere else. I want people to leave somewhere else and come to us because they just hear such wonderful things about this district and the climate and the culture.”
Building On Success
Toddings sees his role as building on what is already working in the district. He points to its facilities, technology and academic and athletic programs, but repeatedly returns to people when describing Barnegat’s strengths.
“Just quality people is what we excel in,” he said. “Now it’s getting those quality people to just continue with what they’re doing, give them the tools that they need to succeed.”
His first priorities include getting into each building, talking with staff, establishing expectations and determining where resources should be concentrated.
Now, after more than two decades building those relationships, Toddings will have the opportunity to help shape the Barnegat school district’s next chapter.
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