The City School District of Albany Board of Education is expected to appoint veteran Sheridan Preparatory Academy Principal Zuleika Sanchez-Gayle as the district’s new Early Childhood director at its meeting Wednesday.
She is scheduled to begin in her new position on Jan. 1. The district will begin a search for her replacement at Sheridan Prep immediately.
In her 25th year in the school district, Sanchez-Gayle is in her 15th year leading Sheridan Prep. She led the school’s transformation from Receivership to being a School in Good Standing through strategic data-driven initiatives, culturally responsive teaching and social-emotional learning practices, with a focus on equity and inclusion.
“I am very proud of the work we have done here at Sheridan Prep, and I’m really confident in the staff’s commitment to academic growth and the achievement of our students,” she said. “While it is bittersweet to leave, I believe the school is poised to continue their excellent work.”
An elementary teacher for eight years at Arbor Hill Elementary School at the beginning of her time in Albany, Sanchez-Gayle had her first administrative appointment as an assistant principal at the former Philip Livingston Magnet Academy in 2008-09. She then served as the English as a New Language Department supervisor in 2009-10 before beginning her tenure at Sheridan Prep.
In the district’s Early Childhood Department, she will fill a position that opened at the start of the school year with the sad and untimely passing of Melissa Hasty. She will lead a department that is responsible for approximately 1,000 full-day prekindergarten seats for 3- and 4-year-old students in addition to curriculum alignment and programming for grades K-2.
Sanchez-Gayle noted her long working relationship with Hasty dating to their time as elementary teachers in the district, and her deep respect for the Early Childhood Department’s growth and development under Hasty’s leadership.
“Melissa was a very respected colleague of mine throughout my career,” she said. “I am mindful of and respectful of her legacy, and I want to continue to focus on her legacy of excellence throughout our Early Childhood program.
“I know there is work to do, and I’m ready and poised to facilitate that work while also honoring everything that Meslissa has done and making sure we keep her commitment to excellence at the forefront.”
