- By Ithaca City School District
- Around Town
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Jennifer Gondek, who currently serves as a Master Educator for Inclusion (MEI) at Enfield and Northeast elementary schools, has been appointed as the district’s new Director of Special Education. Prior to joining the ICSD in 2019, Gondek worked for eight years as an Instructional Specialist for Inclusion at TST BOCES, supporting component districts in the areas of inclusive education, literacy, behavioral support, special education regulation, and more.
Gondek also has over a decade of diverse teaching experience, having worked in various states as a special education teacher, elementary teacher, student support teacher, and literacy specialist.
On Tuesday night, the ICSD Board of Education also appointed Lisa Sahasrabudhe as the new principal of Cayuga Heights Elementary School. Sahasrabudhe first joined the ICSD in 1988 and served for 30 years as a classroom teacher at Fall Creek, Belle Sherman, and Beverly J. Martin elementary schools.
In 2018, Sahasrabudhe became the district’s first Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for Culturally Responsive Practices. She was then appointed to her current position, Instructional Coach for Equity, Inclusion, and Innovation at Fall Creek Elementary School, in 2019. Sahasrabudhe also serves as an Equity Mentor for the district and has been a member of the ICSD Equity and Inclusion Leadership Council (EILC) since 2014.
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