The William Floyd School District has appointed Matthew Sanders as the next Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources & Administration effective July 1, 2023. Mr. Sanders, who currently serves as the principal of William Floyd Middle School, was selected after an extensive search and rigorous interview process. He will take over for Janet Gilmor, who is retiring at the end of this school year after serving successfully in this role for the past 19 years. His appointment was approved at the January 24 Board of Education meeting.

Mr. Sanders, who is completing his 20^th year serving the students and residents of the William Floyd school community, is currently in his fourth year as the principal of William Floyd Middle School. In this role, he serves as the administrative and instructional leader of more than 150 faculty and staff members for a middle school population of approximately 1,100 students in grades six, seven and eight. Throughout his tenure, he has also served as an assistant principal at William Floyd High School, a special education teacher, an extracurricular advisor, a union representative and a coach.

“Mr. Sanders is a natural self-directed learner who possesses unique talents in instructional and administrative leadership capacities,” said Kevin M. Coster, Superintendent of Schools, William Floyd School District. “His strong character and great moral compass have earned him a well-deserved reputation as an amazing principal. As a leader with great capacity, he has raised the level and quality of leadership in all areas that he has been associated with during his tenure in our district.”

As the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources & Administration, Mr. Sanders will lead all functions of human resources for the district, and will serve as a critical liaison in support of the district’s instructional and business functions. He will deal with the inner workings of employee relations, maintaining compliance with BOE policies and state regulations, and ensuring a collaborative and interdependent relationship with all offices throughout the district. He will also work to ensure that the district continues to recruit and develop a highly-qualified workforce, negotiate employee conditions and contracts; oversee, with the Human Resources staff, the hiring of all new employees including fingerprinting and background checks; as well as supervise the Security department with the Director of Human Resources. Additional roles include supervision of the Nurses' unit, serving as the district’s COVID coordinator, working with the district’s legal team, serving as the liaison between outside organizations such as the Family Service League’s William Floyd Family Center and the Mastic & Shirley Community Emergency Food Pantry, and so much more.

“The William Floyd School District is a great place to learn and work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the district and community,” said Mr. Sanders. “I am extremely excited to work with the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools and his leadership team, along with the Human Resources staff and my colleagues across the district in this new capacity, to help William Floyd continue on its upward trajectory.” 

Mr. Sanders earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in special education from Providence College, his Master of Arts in liberal studies from Stony Brook University and holds advanced certificates in school building leadership and school district leadership from Stony Brook University.

“Together, this governance team of the William Floyd Board of Education and the senior leadership team, along with the dedication of our faculty and staff, the William Floyd School District has achieved new and unprecedented heights; and, we believe that Mr. Sanders will be an excellent addition,” added Mr. Coster.