New superintendent takes helm in Willingboro – News – Burlington County Times

She came from humble beginnings and became her hometown’s superintendent. Neely Hackett is now bringing her “anything is possible” mentality to Willingboro.

WILLINGBORO — Neely Hackett starts most of her days by going for a morning run with her Bischon Frise, passing township schools along the way.

But it wasn’t until about two months ago that Hackett, who has lived in Willingboro with her fianc� for the past three years, knew she’d be working for those schools.

Hackett was announced as the new superintendent on Feb. 10, and had her first day in Willingboro on April 20 — a first day of work that she wasn’t expecting to take place during the coronavirus pandemic when she first took the job.

“Working in the district you live in, I don’t think it gets any better than that,” Hackett said. “When Willingboro posted for the position, I felt like it was time. Leaving home was hard but this opportunity presented itself.

“I’m trying to navigate through some unusual times,” she added. “Taking things into consideration, it’s been very good so far.”

Hackett, originally from Irvington, Essex County, said she has been holding “Listen and Learn” sessions over Google Hangouts with administrators and teachers she’d hoped to meet with in person before the pandemic.

Though she wasn’t in the district for most of the emergency planning for coronavirus, she praised the district’s work to make sure students and staff were ready to work from home.

“Normally, if I’d begun when school was in session, I’d sit down with each person to learn about their department and their school,” she said. “I use the meetings to learn about the principal, the staff, the schools’ challenges and triumphs.”

Previously, she spent seven years as the superintendent of her North Jersey hometown’s schools and held positions as an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, elementary and high school principal, and one year as the interim superintendent of schools for the district of about 7,700 students. Willingboro is roughly half that size, with about 3,500 students.

She started out her career as an elementary teacher in Irvington and Teaneck, Bergen County, and also served as the principal of Franklin High School in Somerset County.

Her three-year contract in Willingboro offers a $200,000 salary, placing her among the top-paid school administrators in Burlington County.

Former Willingboro Superintendent Ronald Taylor resigned last April after being hired as superintendent of South Orange and Maplewood’s shared school district in North Jersey. He had been with the Willingboro district since 2011.

As she starts her first year leading the district, Hackett said she prefers to listen to her staff’s ideas before implementing her own, but she’s certain that she wants to focus on improving test scores and attendance.

“There’s certain things I came in focused on, based on data, but now I need to give the data a story,” she said. “Maybe the data can tell you one thing, but the approach to solving an issue may be different once I hear the story.”

Though she feels fortunate to live among members of the school community while she’s away from school, Hackett said what she’s looking forward to most after the quarantine ends is visiting classrooms and talking to students.

In her past role in Irvington, Hackett formed a superintendents’ advisory council made up of high school students to help understand their needs better. She’s currently planning a virtual meeting with core groups of student leaders across the district’s different schools.

“In the end, that’s who it’s all about — the children,” she said. “I’m excited to meet the people we do all the work for.”

Hackett grew up in a single-parent household in Irvington with her mother and two brothers, an experience she said has strengthened her as a person and now allows her to relate with students from a variety of family backgrounds.

In addition to years of experience, she hopes that her ability to empower students will make her a good match for the district.

“What I bring to Willingboro is my core belief that anything is possible,” she said. “Given the appropriate support, I believe students can achieve anything they put their minds to.”

She said her mother, who was a secretary at her school while she was growing up, instilled that belief in her.

“We struggled to keep food on the table. We struggled to keep the lights on. I remember several times doing my homework by candlelight,” she recalled. “The one thing she told me is that I can do anything, and not to let anything define me — my race, my zip code, my gender, anything. I carry that with me.

“When I tell a student anything’s possible, I really do believe it, because that’s me. I’m living proof.”