April 7, 2022

Dr. Christopher Zublionis Appointed New Superintendent of the North Shore School District
Dear North Shore Community,

On April 7, 2022, the North Shore Schools Board of Education formally announced the appointment of Christopher Zublionis, Ed.D., as the Superintendent of Schools, effective July 1, 2022.  President Dave Ludmar said, “After an exhaustive and thorough search, which included many impressive educational leaders, the Board is thrilled to announce that Dr. Chris Zublionis rose to the top and will take the helm as the Superintendent of North Shore Schools. He is a visionary leader who's proven his dedication to our District and earned the respect of all stakeholders. Most important, he understands what this is all about: ensuring that each and every one of our children is given the opportunity and support they need to learn and thrive."

“Leading the North Shore Schools as the next Superintendent is a dream come true and an opportunity that I will work hard to earn, each and every day,” said Dr. Zublionis. “From my first day on the job at North Shore High School 13 years ago, I realized that the North Shore Schools Community was unique in its dedication to personalized learning, innovation, and continuous improvement.  Our students and families value the power of ambitious educational programming and the many extracurricular opportunities that are offered in our schools.  This connects powerfully to how our faculty demonstrates a consistent dedication to both their own professional growth and their development of positive relationships with students. This partnership of families, faculty and a wonderful community continues to prepare students to grow throughout their North Shore journey so they can discover their dreams.”

Since July 2019, Dr. Zublionis has served as the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction at The North Shore Schools working closely with the superintendent, administration, trustees, faculty, parents, and staff. In three years, Dr. Z has been integral in developing and implementing the K-12 Educational Program and North Shore Schools Reopening Plan during COVID. He collaborated with the District’s leadership team to create an educational technology infrastructure for online and hybrid learning and worked with the curriculum director team to address pandemic-related learning loss through diagnostic assessments and curriculum revision. With the Professional Development Committee and leadership team, he dramatically expanded the professional learning offerings for teachers. He also worked to develop an expansive summer remediation and enrichment program and expanded the District’s universal academic screening process and the Response to Intervention plan.  He led the curriculum directors to develop public-facing curriculum maps for almost every course offered at North Shore. He also headed the District’s study of and action plan for, student engagement and facilitates many of the District’s committees.

Prior to becoming Assistant Superintendent, he received his tenure as principal of Sea Cliff Elementary School in July 2014. During his seven years, Dr. Zublionis fostered a school-wide vision of “Building a Better World” and played an essential role in the development and implementation of the Shared Valued Outcomes. He worked with Sea Cliff faculty to develop a strong school-wide culture and an approach focused on student growth through personalized skill mastery, authentic learning, and reflective goal setting.  Sea Cliff School was recently ranked #11 out of over 2800 elementary schools in New York State. Dr. Z also led the Teaching and Learning Oversight Committee.
His prior administrative experience includes serving as a tenured Director of Social Studies at North Shore High School. “Through my experiences in curriculum development, facilitating professional development, and creating performance-based assessments with faculty, I have developed both an understanding and appreciation of the culture and direction of this district.”

For eight years prior to his work as an administrator, Dr. Zublionis worked as a middle school social studies teacher, coach and student government advisor at the Syosset Central School District and spent a year teaching in West Babylon.

Dr. Zublionis earned his Doctor of Education degree in 2016 from Columbia University-Teachers College. His dissertation research focused on Inclusive Civic Education, and is entitled, “Normalizing Difference in the Creation of Civic Learning Opportunities.” In addition, he has worked as a teacher educator with The New York City Teaching Fellows at Pace University and as an instructor in the Social Studies Department at Teachers College, Columbia University. “These experiences have helped me to develop a strong skillset in empowering teachers to discover and innovate best practices.” In addition, Dr. Zublionis holds a Master of Arts degree (2004) in social studies from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree (2000) in history and education.

When not in our schools working, you’ll find Chris on a lacrosse, soccer, or baseball field cheering on or coaching his children. He is an avid student of history, an amateur musician and is always working to expand his knowledge of information technology. Additionally, while he’s not engaged in building or fixing something for his family or a friend, he may be at an Islanders game cheering, Yes! Yes! Yes!

Interim Superintendent Dr. Tom Dolan stated, “I commend the Board of Education for the hours of hard work that they have now completed focusing on choosing the next Superintendent of the North Shore Schools. The selection of Chris Zublionis reinforces how well they spent their time on this process. The community can look forward to experiencing Chris’ informed and thoughtful leadership. I congratulate Dr. Zublionis!”

The Board looks forward to a very successful final three months of the school year under Dr. Dolan’s leadership and a seamless transition to Dr. Zublionis’ tenure. They have worked seamlessly together this school year, and the strength of our current Central Office Administration and building leadership will further buttress the transition to ensure that student learning, wellness, and achievement remains the focus of our district mission. Congratulations to Dr. Christopher Zublionis, the next Superintendent of the North Shore Schools!

Sincerely,  
The North Shore Schools Board of Education