How Superintendent Jamil Maroun inspires new leaders
Superintendent Jamil Maroun’s path to K12 leadership began in an unlikely industry: comedy.
Maroun, superintendent of New Jersey’s Manville Public Schools, didn’t do stand-up or sitcoms but began his professional life as a booking agent for some big-name comedians.
But the rigors of commuting daily to New York City, a dose of disillusionment with the comedy world, and a mentor gradually nudged him toward his first job as a teacher. That’s where his career took off, he says.
“I kept finding myself drawn more and more into the work of education and mentoring kids and working with teachers and helping teachers,” Maroun says. “Over time, I became one of our teacher leaders, I took on leadership roles in our district, and that same mentor who told me I’d be a great teacher started saying to me, ‘One day, you’ll be a great principal.'”
He wanted to become a principal to reconnect with kids after supervising teachers left him less time to spend with students. He took the helm of a third- and fourth-grade school in the small, high-poverty district, which is about 45 miles from Manhattan.
“The principal’s job was the greatest job in the world,” he recalls. “I was the coolest guy there and the kids loved being in school.”
Now, as superintendent, he’s watching those third- and fourth-graders prepare to graduate. One of those students just became the district’s all-time leading scorer in basketball while another will run Division I track in college.
“All these great kids are flourishing because of the work that we did to create a school district that gives them opportunities,” he adds.
‘The best form of leadership’
One of Maroun’s top priorities is forming partnerships to provide students with programs their families can’t afford when not offered by the district.
As recreational sports leagues and travel teams can be expensive, Maroun has allowed a former Rutgers University basketball star to use a district gym in exchange for coaching and training students in the off-season. He created a similar program for the district’s soccer team.
He also offered space to a grief counseling organization that will provide care for students who’ve suffered losses. Maroun’s community showed its support in March when voters approved an $8 million bond to upgrade the gym floor, renovate an art room and install security vestibules, among other projects.
As a leader, Maroun says he is just as eager to motivate staff to reach their potential. The district, for example, has created a teacher-leader group for aspiring administrators.
“The best form of leadership is where you can take a step back and allow your leaders to be champions of the areas that they oversee and lead,” Maroun concludes. “A true leader is one who can inspire others to see themselves as a great leader, and then they start inspiring other leaders behind them.”
