NJ Teacher Of The Year Honored At Freehold Borough Council Meeting

FREEHOLD BOROUGH, NJ — A local educator who was recently named as New Jersey’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year was honored at the latest meeting of the Freehold Borough Mayor & Council.

Gillian Ober, a seventh-grade English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Freehold Intermediate School, was honored at the council meeting on Tuesday with a resolution recognizing her statewide achievement.

After being named as Monmouth County’s Teacher of the Year for 2025-26, Ober went on to win the title of the 2025-26 NJ State Teacher of the Year, and will work with the NJ Department of Education throughout the year to:

• Give presentations to colleagues and stakeholders around the state
• Speak with aspiring teachers
• Visit classrooms to advance the teaching profession
• Take part in national conferences with other State Teachers of the Year

During Tuesday’s council meeting, the mayor and council congratulated Ober on her achievement, highlighting her work in education and dedication to Freehold Borough's students.

“We know, Gillian, what this [Teacher of the Year title] means,” Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer said. “It means that Gillian is recognized statewide. That she represents the finest group of teachers ever – those in Freehold Borough. It means that she got a car, it means that she has a sabbatical leave to travel around the state. It means that she is respected and loved by many.”

“But my guess would be that Gillian won this award from the state because she does not think that any of that is as valuable as it is when she looks into the face of a child whose eyes say to her, ‘Thank you for caring. Thank you for making me feel safe. Thank you for touching my heart, for seeing my worth,’” Shutzer continued.

“Because Gillian teaches those marginalized kids who may come to school each day fearful. Who may come to school each day hungry. Who may come to school each day questioning his or her worth,” she said. “That, my friends, is why this lady – this extraordinary woman and human being – won this award.”

Shutzer went on to say that Freehold residents and officials appreciate everything that Ober has done and continues to do for their students, and welcomed her and her family to the meeting, as well as Board of Education members, Educational Foundation members, and Freehold Borough School District Superintendent Asia Michael, who were in attendance.

“This continues to be such an honor,” Ober said at the meeting. “I officially started my sabbatical and have been hitting the ground running. I’m so excited to have this bigger platform where I can talk about the things we’re doing in Freehold Borough, the struggles that we might have in the classroom, the things that our students are facing.”

“I have a responsibility. I have this platform,” she continued. “I want to try and use it as much as I can to amplify the voices of people who might not ever get to have that microphone.”

“...Freehold Borough has made me the teacher that I am,” she said. “I traveled around the world to 26 countries. I had no idea what I wanted to be or do when I found teaching, but I knew I wanted to come back here. When I was applying for teaching jobs, I had a couple of offers, and I said ‘I want to work here. These are the kids that I want to work with. I want to make a difference.’”

A full recording of Tuesday night’s meeting of the Mayor & Council can be seen below:

The full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting can be found here.

To learn more about Ober’s work, or the state’s Teacher of the Year program, you can read Patch’s previous reporting:

• Freehold Educator Named 2025-26 County Teacher Of The Year By NJ
• Monmouth County Educator Named 2025-26 NJ Teacher Of The Year