By Donald Gilpin

Hired in January and now in his first month officially on the job, Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Superintendent Mike LaSusa has been enjoying getting to know the schools and the community as he prepares for the start of the 2025-26 school year.

He is aware of the challenges involved in leading the PPS, which has seen a certain amount of turbulence and rapid turnover recently in its administrative personnel, with former Superintendent Carol Kelley departing in 2023 after two years on the job before Interim Superintendent Kathie Foster took the helm from the fall of 2023 until LaSusa’s July 1 start.

LaSusa, who served most recently for 13 years as superintendent of the School District of the Chathams, has been asked more than once about the issue of stability. “I have experience with trying to build stability in the leadership in the district,” he said. “My success in lasting as long as I did in my prior district had to do with support received from the members of the Board of Education (BOE) and the building of a team around me that worked well together. And all were rowing in the same direction.”

He noted that in the past seven months since he was appointed he has seen “all those ingredients in place” in Princeton.

“I’ve found the BOE members to be phenomenally supportive,” he said. “I’ve found the staff to be very supportive. I’ve had the good fortune of being involved in the hiring of some key administrators, including the business administrator and the assistant superintendent for special services, as well as the principal at Johnson Park.”

LaSusa pointed out that it’s unusual for any superintendent to remain for as many as 13 years — the average tenure for New Jersey superintendents is about three years — but he’s hopeful “that if I don’t make it a full 13 years I’ll at least make it as long as I can and hopefully provide stability that hasn’t existed in the most recent period of time.”

LaSusa has been a visible presence in town this month, hosting a series of “meet-and-greets” with parents and other community members. Three more sessions are on the agenda on the next three Thursdays: July 24 and August 7 at Princeton Farmers Market in Hinds Plaza at 10 a.m. and July 31 at Rita’s in the Princeton Shopping Center at 6 p.m. He will also be welcomed at the Joint Effort Safe Streets opening reception at Studio Hillier, 190 Witherspoon Street on August 1 at 5 p.m.

LaSusa has enjoyed the meetings so far. “It’s been a very warm welcome,” he said.

He recognizes some familiar ground, with many similarities between Princeton and Chatham: both districts having six schools, four elementary schools, one middle school, one high school; both ranging between 3,500 and 4,000 in student population; “a culture of achievement and prioritizing academic rigor in both communities;” and “I’m accustomed to interacting with staff members, parents, and students who have a very strong sense of pride in the school district, with the school district almost being their community.”

Princeton’s schools, LaSusa noted, are more diverse than Chatham’s, “socioeconomically and in other ways.” The PPS has significantly larger populations of Black, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino students than Chatham schools.

LaSusa emphasized that he had seen “an incredibly strong sense of community overall in Princeton” and “a greater identification with the broad Princeton community here than I’ve experienced in the past.”

On a number of topics that have been controversial or concerning, LaSusa expressed optimism and an eagerness to confront the challenges. On the question of possible overcrowding, with a growing student population and more housing on the way in Princeton, LaSusa noted that the bond referendum passed in January would be increasing the numbers of classrooms at multiple schools and that he has been in meetings about those projects with architects, administrators, and BOE members.

“We’re moving forward most quickly on the middle school expansion and the Community Park expansion, and both the Littlebrook and high school renovations are right behind them,” he said. “The Board did its due diligence with demographic professionals and architectural professionals to try and get ahead of the enrollment growth that’s anticipated. In two or three years when construction is complete, the district should be in a strong position to receive all the students it anticipates, and I don’t see problems in the intervening years.”

On the subject of possible funding losses and budget surprises through federal government funding cuts, LaSusa was understandably less certain about the future, but he expressed confidence in local support. “We’re very fortunate to be in a community that places a high value on education,” he said. “We are not as susceptible to cuts in federal or state funding as other districts that are more reliant on that funding.”

He emphasized, however, that in the current political environment “the unexpected is somewhat expected,” “you never know what might happen next,” and “anything is possible in this profession right now.”

“It is uncertain what might happen with state and federal funding, and we need to be prepared to take measures that will ensure that all students have the best district programming that they can possibly have given the resources that we receive,” he said.

In commenting on the increased vulnerability of Princeton’s immigrant community under the Trump Administration, LaSusa highlighted his commitment to the educational mission of the PPS. “As educators in a public school system we are responsible for and we care about every single student who is in our charge, and that means every single student regardless of ability level, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation or identification or immigration status,” he said.

He continued, “And the law makes clear that we educate all students regardless of immigrant status, and I, along with every individual I’ve met so far in Princeton, take that very seriously, and we will do whatever we can to ensure the safety and well-being and proper education of all of the students in our charge.”

LaSusa is eager to dive into the new school year at PPS. “I love the fall,” he said. “I think there’s no better time and place than the fall in New Jersey. With the weather changing and school starting and all the optimism and hope of the new school year, it’s my favorite time of year, and I can’t wait until September and October.”