Tuxedo School District hires Jeffrey T. White as school superintendent

The Tuxedo Board of Education has appointed Jeffrey T. White as the new superintendent of schools, effective July 1.

“I am thrilled to work with the Tuxedo School community. I was immediately inspired by the passion of the parents, teachers, residents and board members that I met during the process,” White said in the district’s press release announcing the appointment. “Tuxedo is an extraordinary town rich in history and culture. I look forward to collaboratively working on a team that will ensure we deliver the best possible education and academic experience to our students.”

White was appointed after he emerged as a finalist among 56 applications for the position. The current board as well as school board members-elect were unanimous in the final decision.

‘Hit the ground running’

The hiring and vetting process was exhaustive including multiple interviews conducted by teachers, district staff, parents, residents, and the board. The decision was announced at a school board meeting on June 18.

“We were looking for an experienced school district executive with strong leadership capabilities and a solid record of accomplishments who would be able to hit the ground running in Tuxedo and bring a high level of professional management and educational experience to take Tuxedo’s programs to the next level,” School Board President Dorothy Ziegelbauer said. “We are all excited to welcome Mr. White to the Tuxedo family, and firmly believe that Mr. White will be an excellent district leader and an asset to our team.”

Nearly two decades working in large and small districts

White will leave his position as an assistant superintendent at the Copiague School District. He has spent the last 19 years with a long record of significant accomplishments in senior executive positions at large and small districts in the Hudson Valley and Long Island as well as with the New York State Education Department. This includes working at the Monroe-Woodbury School District as assistant superintendent for business.

Prior to his career in education White also supervised audits of corporations, cities, counties, towns and school districts at KPMG one of the global “Big Four” accounting firms. He is a graduate of St. John’s University (B.S. & MBA), Long Island University (MS Ed), and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

The work ahead

White will be on board as the district will be commencing a new outsourced school bus contract, initiating capital improvements on both the George Grant Mason Elementary School and the George F. Baker High School and hiring multiple staff and teacher positions. He will be working with a recently approved school budget of $13,699,533.

Nicole Scariano, who was the interim superintendent, will be assisting White with the transition.