Board of Education Accepts FIS Principal’s Resignation

Nelson Ribon will leave the Freehold Borough school district after seven years as principal of Freehold Intermediate School (FIS). The Board of Education accepted Ribon’s resignation during its meeting Monday, Aug. 8 at the Park Avenue Complex.

Ribon will take a position as in Fair Haven. His last day at FIS will be Monday, Sept. 26.

The board authorized the creation of an ad hoc committee consisting of four board members, Superintendent Elizabeth O’Connell, Business Administrator Patrick DeGeorge, and Park Avenue Elementary Principal Joseph Jerabek; the group will study the feasibility of hiring either an interim principal or an interim assistant principal.

O’Connell said she received names from the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association of seven recently retired principals who would be interested in applying to serve in an interim position in the district. However, some board members expressed an interest in exploring whether the administrative role should be filled internally, possibly with an interim assistant principal instead of an interim principal, according to O’Connell.

“This committee is going to look very quickly and research whether there is a possibility doing something different than the traditional interim principal (position),” O’Connell said.

The district is currently in the process of setting its strategic long-term goals for a possible restructuring. The creation of an ad hoc committee will allow the board to take a look at the administrative structure to see what makes the most sense for Freehold Borough, according to Freehold Borough Board of Education President Annette Jordan.