East Rockaway welcomes new assistant superintendent

The East Rockaway School District welcomed a new addition as James Robinson became the district’s new Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations on June 16.

Robinson, who lives in Oyster Bay with his wife and two sons, said he was excited to work in East Rockaway. “I’m glad to have the chance to put all of my talents and skills to use here in East Rockaway,” Robinson said. “I’m thrilled to be able to work to ensure that children here will have all the opportunities we can provide for their future.”

In his new role, Robinson will be in charge of the district’s finances, including internal audits, budget development and the management of the school’s construction and food service departments.

Robinson started out not as an educator, but as an entertainer. After receiving a Bachelor of Art degree in Communication from C.W. Post/Long Island University, he began his career in the entertainment industry working for Disney and the ABC Television network.

He was involved in developing new technology for ABC News, including designing their first website. He worked as part of a joint venture that developed ABCNews.com and was part of the site’s launch team.

“I’m very interested in the relationship between technology and business technology and had a chance to work on the first site for ABC News, which really taught me a lot,” he said.

Robinson then went on to work in several entrepreneurial endeavors, often serving as the President and CEO of his companies. He also worked a major credit card company to develop one of the first pre-paid credit cards before beginning his career in education.

Robinson was elected as a trustee to the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Board of Education in 2002, and has served in that role for the past 12 years. He then returned to school and obtained a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a School District Business Leader Certification from Dowling College before becoming Director of Facilities and Executive Director for Business in 2011.

Robinson said he was motivated to switch career fields because of his involvement in his local board of education. “I’ve always been really interested and involved in public education, and I’ve always been an extreme advocate of public schools,” Robinson said. “I think it’s so important that we work to make sure we provide all children with the opportunities they need to thrive and succeed.”

He said he hopes his background in technology will lead to the smart implementation of technology in the district. “I think it’s our perpetual responsibility to look at the different ways technology can aid us in educating our children and work to implement things we think will be effective. It’s a delicate balance, because there is obviously still a need for old-school education, face to face education and there’s no substitute for a child sitting down with a good book and reading.”

Ultimately, Robinson said, he views his role as a neverending chance to have a positive impact on kids in East Rockaway Schools. “It’s a never ending opportunity. It’s a great job and a great challenge. I think East Rockaway has done a great job implementing technology so far, and I’ve been a big supporter of their strategic vision so far. Hopefully we can keep finding that right balance.”