District: Instructional expertise an asset for new assistant superintendent for human resources

At its April 16 meeting, the Northport-East Northport board of education approved the hiring of Anthony Davidson as assistant superintendent for human resources. His appointment is effective beginning July 2024 at a salary of $207,000.

Davidson will be taking on the full-time position made available when Irene McLaughlin, who served in the position since 2015, retired at the end of last year. 

Davidson most recently served as superintendent of schools in the Lindenhurst School District, overseeing all district operations and educational programming. During his tenure, which began in July 2022, his responsibilities included working with union leadership on various contract negotiations, refining the interview process to assure criterion-based determinations and providing training for all interview committees.

A “comprehensive and competitive search,” which included 60 applicants, said district officials, led to Davidson’s hiring. He was chosen “due to his extensive experience in school district administration and commitment to supporting students and staff,” reads a press release sent by the district yesterday.

Prior to his stint in Lindenhurst, Davidson served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the Locust Valley Central School District for approximately four years. He  spent twenty years in the Commack School District, most recently as principal of Commack Middle School, with past roles including assistant principal, chairperson of English language arts, and English language arts teacher. 

He currently serves as an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Davidson is also the recipient of the Long Island BOCES Fred Podolski Leadership and Innovation award, the PTA Advocate-in-Action Award and Commack Middle School Teacher of the Year. He was formerly the president of the Suffolk County Middle Level Principals Association. 

“He’s very strong instructionally and I think that when you have an HR person that can contribute in a manner where they understand staffing through the lens of student achievement, or they understand the mentoring induction program through what high-quality teaching looks like, I think that’s an overall plus,” Moyer told the Journal in a conversation yesterday. 

“Anthony will be a terrific addition to our team,” he said in the press release. “We anticipate his instructional expertise will translate well into the human resources function and are confident that his talents and experiences will benefit both students and staff.”

Davidson begins his tenure with the Northport-East Northport district on July 1.