Glen Ridge Superintendent of Schools Resigns

After 14 years serving the school district as Glen Ridge's High School Principal and Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Daniel Fishbein has announced his resignation. Fishbein will move on to hold the same position in his home town of Ridgewood, New Jersey. The news came in letters today - one from Fishbein and one from BOE prez Elizabeth Ginsburg. From Ginsburg's letter:

Dan has spent his entire administrative career in Glen Ridge, as Assistant Principal and Principal of the High School, and finally, as our Superintendent for the last seven years. Under his leadership we have expanded our academic programs, completed a major expansion project, strengthened our finances, undertaken significant facilities improvements and built a strong, cohesive faculty and administrative team. Dan has also worked cooperatively with the Borough and been omnipresent at school and community events. He has put our students first each and every day. For all of these reasons and many more, he will be sorely missed.

Read both letters, after the jump.

June 6, 2008

Dear Glen Ridge Community, Glen Ridge Faculty, Staff and Administration:

It is with great regret that I inform you that I will be leaving as Superintendent of the Glen Ridge Public Schools. I have been employed by the Glen Ridge Board of Education since

May 16, 1994 and I have loved every minute. I have enjoyed working with the people of this community to help raise their children and make their children's educational experience one of excellence. We have accomplished great things together and I feel very satisfied with what I have been able to contribute.

It is now time for me to go home and assist my home district of Ridgewood as their Superintendent of Schools. In my years here in Glen Ridge, I have been fortunate to work with excellent Boards of Education who have been very generous with their support and resources; excellent administrators who are not only true professionals but also compassionate and focused leaders; a faculty and staff who are great educators and great people; and, finally, a community that is generous and committed to its schools. The Borough Government, The Glen Ridge Educational Foundation, The Home and School Associations, GRAA, Rotary and all the parent and civic organizations are extremely supportive with their time, resources and commitment to the Borough's children. I will dearly miss this abundance of support and can only hope it can be replicated in my new district.

Thank you for everything you have done for me, my family and my career. I have spent almost a third of my life in Glen Ridge… I will always be a Ridger.

Sincerely yours,

Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

June 6, 2008

Dear Community Members,

I am writing today to announce that our school superintendent, Dr. Daniel Fishbein, has accepted the position of Superintendent of the Ridgewood, NJ Public Schools. His official resignation date and last day in the district are still open, as the Bergen Executive County Superintendent has not yet completed his review of Dan's proposed contract with Ridgewood. Dan will definitely be with us for all the end-of-the-year festivities as well as graduation.

Dan has spent his entire administrative career in Glen Ridge, as Assistant Principal and Principal of the High School, and finally, as our Superintendent for the last seven years. Under his leadership we have expanded our academic programs, completed a major expansion project, strengthened our finances, undertaken significant facilities improvements and built a strong, cohesive faculty and administrative team. Dan has also worked cooperatively with the Borough and been omnipresent at school and community events. He has put our students first each and every day. For all of these reasons and many more, he will be sorely missed.

Dan has invested much of himself in our district. He is leaving us because he feels compelled and uniquely qualified to make the same kind of investment in the schools attended by his five children. We know that he will be as successful in Ridgewood as he has been in Glen Ridge and we wish him well.

Dan has pledged to spend the time until he leaves doing everything in his power to help the Board begin the transition process that will culminate in the appointment of our next superintendent. The first step in that process is to hire a qualified Interim Superintendent to take over from Dan when he leaves. Within the next few days we will provide you with information on that step and the entire superintendent search process. We will make every effort to communicate with you regularly.

We know that many of you have questions or comments. Please send them to eginsburg@glenridge.org.

Glen Ridge is a great community with a great school district. We will find a great superintendent.

Sincerely,

Elisabeth Ginsburg
President, Glen Ridge Board of Education

Tom Agnew
John Cable
Karen Eisen
Regina Henry
Jeffrey Kobernick
Suzanne O'Connor
Julie Raskin
Gwen Schoenfeld