The Garden City Public Schools welcomes new administrators Lauren Kaufman and Michael Vespe as Stratford Elementary School assistant principal and director of literacy K-12, respectively. They both commenced their new roles this month.
With more than 14 years of experience in educational administration, Kaufman has held roles as a middle school literacy specialist, instructional coach and reading specialist in the Long Beach Public Schools. She served as an instructional leader in four elementary buildings, contributed to a comprehensive middle school plan, organized units of study for reading and writing, led many curriculum initiatives and planned literacy activities, among other responsibilities. She has led a wealth of professional development presentations and mentorship activities to support faculty members, and also supervised the district’s Creativity Camp.
Kaufman obtained her Educational Leadership Certificate from Stony Brook University, her Master of Science Degree from Hofstra University and her Bachelor of Arts Degree from CUNY Hunter College. She taught second grade for several years in Queens prior to her work in Long Beach.
Vespe comes to Garden City from the New York City Department of Education District 25, where he served as instructional support specialist and pilot coordinator. He facilitated professional learning pilots, models and opportunities that addressed the schools’ needs. Previously, he was a regional common core achievement coach for the NYC Department of Education’s Children First Network 531 and Children First Network 535. In that capacity, he supported, led and collaborated with administrators and staff members on curriculum projects and instructional practices.
Earlier in his career, Vespe was a literacy coach/staff developer and teacher in I.S. 238 Susan B. Anthony Academy. He holds an Advanced Certificate in Educational Leadership from the College of Saint Rose, a Master of Science Degree from Dowling College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from SUNY Stony Brook.
“As many members of the district and community know, we conducted a thorough search process for both of these positions and spent time interviewing many qualified candidates,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha said. “Ms. Kaufman and Mr. Vespe impressed us with their backgrounds and commitment to student learning, and I am pleased to have them on our team—they will both be valuable assets to our schools.”
—Submitted by Garden City Schools
