New year, new chief at Alpha school Donna Medea brings years of experience in education to the job. Tuesday, September 04, 2007 • By ANDREA EILENBERGER • The Express-Times ALPHA | Donna Medea is preparing for her new post as chief school administrator at the borough school by getting to know teachers and staff. She won't take on the dual roles of principal and superintendent full time until mid-October but she's already settling into the kindergarten through eighth-grade school. As she spent time Friday in the North Boulevard school, she talked with staff that came in ready for the start of classes Wednesday. "They're all very warm, and they talk highly about the school," Medea said. "Everybody seems happy to be here." Medea, 59, is a longtime educator who has taught every grade from fourth to eighth. She spent six years at the Clinton Public School and is finishing up work at the Greater Brunswick Charter School in New Brunswick, N.J., where she has served as assistant education director for a year. Medea, of Bethlehem Township in Hunterdon County, replaces Mary Kildow, who was the school's chief school administrator for three years before she took a job in another New Jersey district. Alpha school board members hired Medea after interviewing seven candidates earlier this summer. "It's a four-year contract, but I'm hoping this is a long-term assignment for me," Medea said. She will earn $96,000 a year. School board President Dino Pettinelli said he was impressed with Medea's experience, which includes work in districts similar in size to the approximately 280-student Alpha school. "She seems like a really good fit for what our district is looking for," Pettinelli said. At small districts, Medea said she's learned to handle practically all functions necessary to run a school. Aside from her role at the Greater Brunswick Charter School, Medea held a part-time administrative role at the Clinton district until the position was eliminated due to budget constrains. Charter schools are public schools but don't receive as much funding as others, meaning plenty of fundraising efforts at Greater Brunswick Charter School, she said. The state encourages charter schools to employ innovative educational techniques, and Medea said she's helped Greater Brunswick's project-based learning initiative. She said she won't set specific school goals until she has a thorough understanding of Alpha's needs but wants to ensure its operation includes teacher input and parent involvement. Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.