Livingston Public Schools has announced that Daniel Fishbein has been selected to serve as interim superintendent for the district for the 2024-25 school year. He is the retired superintendent of Ridgewood Public Schools.
Fishbein’s employment will begin on July 1. The Board of Education approved this appointment during its Tuesday, April 30, meeting. Prior to the start of the meeting, the public was invited to attend a “meet and greet” with Fishbein.
Board of Education president Pam Chirls announced at the April 16 meeting that the board would hire an interim superintendent to allow sufficient time for the district to seek stakeholder input and conduct a thorough search for a permanent superintendent of schools. In a press release announcing the hiring, offi-cials stated that LPS would benefit from Fishbein’s leadership in high performing districts.
“I am honored to be appointed as the interim superintendent for Livingston Public Schools,” Fishbein said. “I look forward to working with the board, the administration, the staff, and the community for the smooth transition to a permanent superintendent.”
On April 1, current LPS superintendent of schools Matthew Block announced that he would be retiring from public education in New Jersey effective July 1, before assuming his newrole as superintendent of schools in Ardsley, New York. His resignation, for purposes of retirement, was approved at the last Board meeting on April 16.
'Dr. Fishbein’s reputation as an educational leader is second to none,” Block stated. “I am confident he will quickly discover what an amazing professional team we have here in Livingston, and together with the LPS team, will take the district to the next level. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Fishbein during the upcoming transition period.”
Fishbein holds a bachelor of arts degree in geology from the University of Maine, Orono; a master of education in secondary science education from St. Michael’s College; and a master of education in educational administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. He eamedhis doctor of education in educational administration from Columbia University in 1992.
In 2020, Fishbein retired as superintendent of Ridgewood Public Schools, a position he held for over a decade. There he served as the chief school administrator for 5,800 K -12 students and 800 professional and non-professional staff members. As superintendent, he was responsible for the leadership and management of the educational program, financial and technology operations, and all parts of the physical plant, as well as for leading, inspiring, guiding, and directing each administrative, instructional, and support services staff member. In addition, he oversaw a $115,000,000 budget. Highlights of his tenure in Ridgewood include a successful $48,000,000 bond referendum on the facilities that was approved in December 2009 and completed in 2012.
Prior to j oining Ridgewood Public Schools, Fishbein served as superintendent of schools in Glen Ridge for seven years.
Since his retirement, he has served in various interim positions in Glen Rock, Hillsborough Township, and Pascack Valley.
Fishbein has served as an adjunct professor at Ramapo College in Mahwah since 2018. Over the years, he has served in various leadership roles with Bergen County Superintendents’Association, Essex County Superintendents Association, Northern NJ Superintendents’ Study Council, and the Garden State Coalition of Schools. He has also served as a trainer and mentor for new superintendents and administrators who aspire to be superintendents. He is a founding member of the National Superintendents Roundtable and the New Jersey Superintendent Study Council. He has traveled to Japan, China, and South Korea as an education ambassador and guest of their governmental education agencies.
