New City School Administrator Ready for School Challenge
By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
The Asbury Park School District’s School Business Administrator, who has only been at her post for three weeks, is quickly adapting to her new professional home.
“I love it here,” said Corey Lowell last week.
Lowell comes to the district from the Freehold Regional High School District where she served for six and half years as assistant business administrator.
Lowell, who has an MBA and a is a CPA, said so far she is enjoying being part of one community for a change. The Freehold regional district is made up of five towns which send their students to the district secondary schools.
One big issue Lowell will be tackling in her new post is the demolition and rebuilding of the Bangs Avenue School.
“That’s a big project,” she said. “But I like the way they are doing it. It’s being done from a team perspective.”
Lowell said current plans call for the ground breaking to be in September of 2011.
Even though she already had a masters in business administration and is a certified public accountant, Lowell said she had to take a six month course at the Association of School Business Administrators Organization to become fully certified. She also had to have a mentor for a year’s residency.
She said the training was invaluable.
“The certification covers things like food service and transportation…things that you don’t get in the private sector.”
New Jersey is a lot more regulated than most states.
Lowell, who lives in Long Branch, said she visits the city frequently to run on the boardwalk or dine out.
Before applying for the job she did her best to learn about the district. logging on to the state’s Department of Education Web site to read the audit and visting the district’s Web site to read minutes of board meetings.
“I was prepared,” she said. “ I did my homework.”
She even attended a board meeting to see how they are conducted.
Lowell said before working in the district she did not know what to expect regarding working with a state fiscal monitor, referring to Mark Cowell who began in the district in the fall of 2007.
“I love working with him,” she said last week. “It’s refreshing that he talks in term of ‘we.’”
Lowell said already she believes one of her first areas of impact in the business office will be in the area of efficiency.
“I’ve only been here three weeks and already I’ve made good strides,” she said.
Lowell, who grew up in North Brunswick, attended Rutgers for her Masters Degree.
She has lived in Long Branch for 10 years.
Another challenge Lowell faces is looking into consolidation through the county office, which is something school district’s statewide are looking into.
Lowell said the issue is being looked at from an articulation of curriculum perspective.
“Is it educationally better? It’s not just being looked at from an efficiency perspective.”
Lowell is looking forward to participating in the community and will attend a Parent Advisory Council meeting.
“They invited me – when somebody invites me I’m going to make the time for them.”
Lowell also said she will also attend the high school football game and Pop Warner football over the weekend at the high school field.
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