David is an educational professional with expertise in curriculum, change management, school finances, leadership, and strategic planning. He holds a Master’s Degree in Education from SUNY New Paltz and is presently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Manhattanville College.
David is the Superintendent of Schools at the Mount Pleasant Cottage Union Free School District. He was previously a High School Principal for eleven years. During his recent six years as the Monroe-Woodbury High School Principal, he encouraged his staff to collaborate on a vision for academic success based solely on those elements that were best for students. With this focus always in the forefront, his team adhered to a four-step management approach: identify areas of concern; create plans of action for improvement; initiate implementation; and assess/refine continuously. Their discussions and ultimate decisions were informed by data, research, discussion, and best practices.
David does not subscribe to a “Top-Down” or “Bottom-Up” approach. Rather, decision-making is shared in order to foster a collaborative spirit among all stakeholders. Through clarity of mission and support of students and staff, David, along with his team, has fostered a professional community willing to take chances in creating innovative programs to enhance student learning. The outcome has been record-high graduation rates for both special education and general education students, as well as a nomination as a Newsweek Top 100 School.
Earlier in his life, David played professional basketball in Israel for six years. He and his wife, Karen, have five children and are based in New York.