Meara a finalist for Mercer post

FREEHOLD — After leading the borough’s K-8 school district for two-and-a-half years, Superintendent of Schools Philip J. Meara may be leaving.

Meara said he is a finalist for the position of superintendent in Lawrence Town-ship, Mercer County. The K-12 district has more than 5,000 students in four elementary schools, a middle school, an intermediate school and a high school.

The Freehold Borough school district has about 1,380 pupils in two elementary schools and one intermediate school.

If he were to leave for Lawrence, Meara would have a chance to do something he said he misses very much — interact with high school students. During his career in education Meara has coached high school soccer, basketball and track.

“Most of my teaching experience was teaching high school,” Meara said. “It was a unique and rewarding experience.”

Meara said that since coming to Free-hold Borough in 2003, he has not looked for or applied for a position in another district. He said a close friend and mentor brought the Lawrence opportunity to him.

Meara came to Freehold Borough from the K-12 New Egypt School District in Plumsted Township, Ocean County, which has four schools and about 1,600 students.

Meara said he has had several interviews with members of the Lawrence Township Board of Education. The district’s representatives have come to Freehold Borough to interview officials here, he said.

The situation may be clearer by the end of this week, he said.

— Clare Marie Celano