New Peekskill Superintendent of Schools Hits Ground Running
Dr. David Mauricio officially took over the reins as Superintendent of Schools in the Peekskill School District on July 1, and he hit the ground running.
Dr. Mauricio, who was selected by the Board of Education on April 6 after an extensive nationwide search, has a 90-day entry plan to immerse himself into the district, meet key stakeholders in the community and ensure schools and faculty are ready to greet students when they return to school in September.
“I am very excited to join the Peekskill community,” Dr. Mauricio said when he was appointed. “During the interview process with the Board, staff and community leaders, it was clear that Peekskill is poised for greatness. I was extremely impressed with the community’s diversity; the school board’s commitment to the children, families and a focus on excellence; and the many wonderful things taking place in the district and the city.”
Dr. Mauricio was born in New York City. He was raised by his mother and father, both of whom are Latinos. His father was born in the Dominican Republic to a large family. His mother was born in Puerto Rico. While his home was not financially wealthy, Dr. Mauricio’s life was rich in love, guidance, religion, a sense of family and a strong work ethic. His parents taught him to give to others and this virtue was evident in how the family lived. These realities and perspectives drove Dr. Mauricio to work hard in order to be successful in life. Many mentors and caring adults have assisted him throughout his entire life, leading him to become the person he is today.
He graduated from the New York City Public School system. He pursued his post-secondary education in Buffalo where he received the following degrees: BS in Ed., Special Education & Elementary Education from S.U.N.Y. College at Buffalo; MS in Ed., Bilingual Special Education from S.U.N.Y. College at Buffalo; Certificate of Advanced Study, School Administrator and Supervisor from S.U.N.Y. College at Buffalo; and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University at Buffalo.
Dr. Mauricio began working in education in 1993 and has spent more than 24 years serving Buffalo’s students in the following capacities: Special Education Teacher (Monolingual and Bilingual) at School #33; Educational Specialist, Committee on Special Education (CSE), Director and Supervisor of Special Education, Principal of Lorraine Elementary School, Principal of Bennett High School, Community Superintendent and most currently in his position as Chief of Strategic Alignment and Innovation.
He is also extremely committed to the betterment of the communities he works with, and has received numerous community awards and recognitions for his efforts and achievements including, but not limited to the following: the Outstanding Leadership Award for Men of Integrity from Utopia Euphoria, LLC, the Proud Latino Award from Hispanics United of Buffalo, the Career and Technical Educator’s Guild Award and the U.S. Army Reserve HHD 2nd Brigade, 98th Division Solider of the Year Award.
In addition, Dr. Mauricio sits on a number of boards and committees, including Junior Achievement of Western New York, Parent Network of Western New York and the Westside Latino Taskforce. He is also the President, Executive Board Member and Regional Delegate of the New York State Association of Bilingual Education, and a founding member of the New York State Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents.
Dr. Mauricio, husband to Kimberly and father to a son and daughter, replaced Dr. Mary Keenan Foster, who returned to her previous position as Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
