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Freehold Township School District shifts principals, fills several administrative posts ahead of 2025–26 school year
Summary
The district announced multiple principal and administrator moves: Tara Lechner will move from West Freehold School to Eisenhower Middle School after the resignation of Eisenhower principal Mrs. Gambino; Kathleen Rosen and Danielle Perella are shifting into other elementary principal roles; searches continue for remaining supervisor positions.
Freehold Township School District announced multiple leadership changes Monday as administrators prepare for the 2025–26 school year.
Staff member Mr. Dickstein told the board that Eisenhower Middle School principal Mrs. Gambino has resigned effective Aug. 2 and is relocating to Florida. To fill that vacancy, Tara Lechner, currently principal of West Freehold School, will move to Eisenhower. Jimmy Ascolise, already approved earlier as Eisenhower’s assistant principal, will join her leadership team.
Mr. Dickstein said the district did a broad search for the Eisenhower post. “When the post been closed after 5 days, we had 28 applicants,” he said, adding that elementary principal searches drew approximately 100 applicants. The district, he said, wanted internal continuity where possible: Kathleen Rosen, who had been approved as principal of Ericsson School, was shifted to West Freehold, and Danielle Perella is recommended to assume the principalship at Erickson School.
The administration also told the board it is appointing a new supervisor for Laura Donner (name listed on the agenda) and is mid-search for a supervisor for Ericsson School; the district expects that recommendation at the June 24 meeting. Mr. Dickstein said these moves leave “every school … set up for outstanding leadership and success.”
The board received related personnel business during the meeting. Board member Mrs. Spieler moved the personnel slate (resignations; new hires; leaves of absence; contract renewals; assignment and salary changes; ESY, summer and substitute staffing; and related items), and the motion passed on a roll call.
The district also reported enrollment and disciplinary summaries in the same portion of the meeting. Enrollment for April 2025 was listed as 3,420 students, compared with 3,416 in May 2025 and 3,493 in the prior school year. The district reported five incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying since the last meeting; three were found to be founded and two unfounded.
Board members and administrators said they expect remaining spring hiring and summer transitions to continue before the start of next school year.
The board did not take further action on any of the leadership transitions during the public portion beyond the personnel slate votes already recorded.
