RED BANK REGIONAL TO START YEAR WITH INTERIM PRINCIPAL

Red Bank Regional High School.   (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

Forced to scramble after a midsummer departure of its principal, Red Bank Regional High School plans to hire a veteran school administrator to run the school for several months on an interim basis.

Julius Clark in a photograph taken for an interview with redbankgreen in 2019. 

Principal Julius Clark announced his departure on July 31, saying he had accepted an assistant superintendent position with the Trenton School District. Clark took over as principal of Red Bank Regional in 2019. 

“Serving as principal of such an exceptional school has been one of the greatest honors of my professional journey,” he wrote in an email to parents.  “I leave with a profound sense of appreciation and pride in all that we’ve achieved together.

 

The Red Bank Regional Board of Education will vote Wednesday night on the appointment of Peter Righi to serve as acting principal from August 21 to December 31. His pay will be $675 per day, according to the meeting agenda. 

Peter Righi (at right) in a 2014 redbankgreen photo with the manager of the Rumson Fair Haven football team who had received an “Unsung Hero” award from the school district. 

 

Righi served as superintendent of the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional school district for roughly 20 years before he retired in 2019, according to press accounts. 

He has served several short-term interim administrator stints since, including taking over as the Wall Township High School principal in 2022, while the principal was on paid leave, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Clark will remain on the job in Little Silver until August 31, according to district superintendent Louis Moore, creating “what should be a smooth transition.” Moore said the district will immediately begin the search for a permanent principal.

Righi’s interim stint could be shorter or longer than the current December 31 plan, depending on how that search goes. He may also work a shorter work week that could be “three or four days” while he serves as interim principal, Moore said. 

“Julius found out fairly late in the cycle that he had been selected as a candidate so we had to respond,” Moore said. “We’ve done everything that we usually do to prepare for a smooth opening.”

The public portion of the meeting begins at 7:30 pm at the school at 101 Ridge Road, Little Silver.

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at  [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.