June 29, 2023—The District is pleased to announce the following additions to key leadership positions. All three appointments were approved by the Board of Education on June 27, 2023.
James Dubsky will be the new Associate Principal of Shaker Heights High School. In that role he will be part of a leadership team responsible for promoting academic excellence and a nurturing teaching and learning environment for all students and staff.
Mr. Dubsky is currently Assistant Principal of Heights High School in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District. In that role, his duties include leading efforts to improve the school’s culture and climate. He is also a co-facilitator of the school’s teacher-administration partnership team. He has also served CHUH as a high school and middle school Dean of Students and as Principal of the high school’s Extension Program, where he reduced behavioral infractions dramatically.
Additionally, the District has named two new Assistant Principals at Shaker Heights High School who will join Principal Eric Juli’s leadership team:
Liz Massey is currently the District’s Supervisor of Student Wellness and Success. In that capacity, she has created and coordinated the District’s Social and Emotional Learning programming, implemented student screenings, created building-based needs assessments throughout the District and implemented a District-wide threat assessment protocol. Under her leadership, behavioral incidents had been reduced.
Before coming to Shaker Heights, Ms. Massey served as Dean of Instruction at Citizens Academy East in Cleveland, where she provided instructional support to teachers and staff. She also served as an Urban Support Specialist for the Ohio Department of Education, and as an Intervention Specialist in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Ms. Massey earned a Master of Education degree in Adult Learning and Development and a Bachelor degree in Special Education from Cleveland State University. She is working toward an EdS. at Youngstown State University.
Katie A. Slifkin is currently serving as the Acting Principal at Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School in Pinellas County (Florida) Schools. Having served for several years as the Assistant Principal, her duties include the recruitment, hiring and retention of 52 teachers in grades 6-8, creating a master schedule, overseeing testing, planning and facilitating professional development and analyzing data as it relates to the school improvement plan.
Prior to Thurgood Marshall, Ms. Slifkin taught science and language arts at Safety Harbor Middle School and Azalea Middle School, also in Pinellas County.
Ms. Slifkin earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from National Louis University in Tampa, and a bachelor’s degree in education from Kent State University.
Mr. Dubsky, Ms. Massey and Ms. Slifkin will begin their new roles July 1, 2023.