In a not-very-publicized move, Hoboken High School principal and football coach Ed Stinson moved to a new job at the end of the summer as "director of system-wide physical education."
The new position was created this year in order to coordinate all the physical fitness and team sports programs between Hoboken’s six public schools, officials said, and to ensure that every student from grades K-12 is given the opportunity to participate in some sort of sport or athletic activity.
Stinson had served as the principal of Hoboken High for a little more than a year.
School officials said that there was nothing strange about the surprise move, which took place Aug. 31, less than a week before the start of the school year.
"This is a position that we have needed for a long time," said Hoboken Superintendent of Schools Patrick Gagliardi Thursday. "Our concentration has been strictly on academics and we have let a lot of our athletic programs get away from us, and I believe that [Stinson] is head and shoulders more qualified than anyone else who applied to coordinate this effort to improve our athletics."
Replacing Stinson in the principal’s office for now is Gerald Kiely, the city’s former director of high school curriculum. Kiely has taught math in the district for more than 20 years and has served as supervisor of the city’s math, science and technology programs since 1988. Kiely has been officially serving as acting principal since August 31, but as of yet has not been hired as a permanent replacement.
Stinson is excited about his new job. "I view the move as being perfect for me because the position falls right into my area of expertise," he said. "I feel this is going to be a great opportunity to improve our school system."
Board of Education President David Anthony explained Thursday, "We found in several recent surveys that there is direct correlation between athletic involvement and students’ performance in school. [Stinson] will be in charge of communicating with all of our schools and in turn will design a program that ensures that every child has the best chance to participate and improve themselves through athletics."
While officials said the athletics in the district could be strengthened, Hoboken High School’s organized program is none too shabby. The Hoboken High School Red Wings football team consistently ranks first in the state championships.
Academics have been the focus of some criticism in the past. The high school’s SAT scores are improving and are ahead of some urban districts, but they still fall far below the state average. The state High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) scores for 1999-2000 were ahead of the state average.
Job will be advertised
Kiely said he sees the job of principal as being large and challenging.
"It really is a daunting job, but so far it has been quite rewarding," said Kiely Thursday from his Hoboken High office. "Every day there are new challenges, but we have an excellent support staff already in place that has made my transition as smooth as possible."
While it may sound that Stinson’s move from principal is a step down, Anthony said Thursday that Stinson pursued the new job and that it is nothing more than an analogous move to an area in which he is more qualified.
"This is not a demotion or anything like that," said Anthony. "This a parallel move to an area in which [Stinson] has a great deal of experience. The director’s position is equal to that of a principal, and [Stinson] is excited about putting into motion innovative programs."
He added, "This program has been in the works for years now. He sought us out for the job and it in the end it was his choice to take the job. This was in the in the pipeline well before he was even principal."
Anthony said that while Kiely has been doing a good job in the interim, it has not yet been finalized who will be the permanent selection to head the school.
"We have heard nothing but good things from parents and teacher about [Kiely’s] performance, but before we make a final determination, we will go through the process of finding the best principal that we can find," he said.
If offered the permanent job, Kiely said Thursday, he would be more than willing to accept.
"Whenever the [Board of Education] officially posts the permanent position," he said, "I am certainly going to apply for it."