City’s new Assistant Superintendent

By Patty Booth O’Neill
Long Branch — After many interviews with three applicants from inside the district and five outside, the Board of Education approved Alvin L. Freeman at their Tuesday night workshop.  He was officially sworn in as the new Assistant Superintendent in a Board of Education meeting on Wednesday evening.
“I am so excited to begin this new position,” Freeman said. “I am very appreciative that the Board (of Education) has confidence in me.”
Freeman, who was born in Louisiana, moved to New Jersey when he was nine and after moving around the state, settled in Middletown and graduated from Middletown High School in 1988. He then attended Upsala College and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1993 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
Freeman took a temporary position as a substitute teacher in the Red Bank School system. “That’s when I realized I wanted to work with children.” he said. “I knew I could make a difference.”
Knowing this was his calling Freeman took and passed the National Teacher’s Examinations and in 1995 and then landed a job as a fourth grade teacher in West End School.
In 1997 Freeman received the honor of “District Employee of the Month.” In 1999 he was recognized again, first as the West End School “Employee of the Month” and then as the school’s “Teacher of the Year.” Ultimately, these accomplishments led him to become the “1999 Long Branch School District Teacher of the Year.”
After seven years of teaching fourth grade Freeman decided to earn a graduate degree in administration. Shortly after, he was promoted to Assistant to the Principal at the Long Branch Middle School. As an Assistant, he continued taking courses at an accelerated pace and was able to graduate from Kean University in 2002 with his Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. He was then appointed Assistant Principal in 2003. In 2006, Freeman was appointed lead principal of the Long Branch High School. Currently he is pursuing a doctorate in Urban Leadership at Kean University.
“I am looking forward to working with Mr. Freeman,” said Long Branch Superintendent Michael Salvatore. He said that Freeman has great determination and understanding of the process of enlisting and guiding the talents of instructional leaders. “He is not satisfied with the status quo. His mission is to challenge the mediocrity of education,” Salvatore said.
Freeman already has a vision to strive for. “My main goal is to collaborate with principals and motivate people to have the right mindset to maximize their abilities. He added that if the teachers are motivated then student achievement will improve. ‘They will be better prepared for life after graduation. They will become more productive and in return the community becomes more productive. That is my mission.”