Robert Kravitz appointed new Jericho schools superintendent

The Jericho school district has named a longtime school administrator from suburban New Jersey as its new superintendent, succeeding Hank Grishman, who recently announced plans to retire in June at the end of this school year.

Robert Kravitz has served as superintendent in Fort Lee, N.J., since 2021, and has more than 20 years’ experience as an educator, the Jericho school board announced Tuesday. Kravitz’s appointment in Jericho was unanimously approved by the board at a special meeting Monday night, according to a press release from the district.

Kravitz’s salary will be $315,00 a year, under a three-year contract approved by the board Monday, local officials said. The board spent six months and interviewed multiple candidates in its search for a new leader of the 3,200-student system, which is widely recognized as one of the top-achieving in the nation.

“I’m excited for the district in finding a successful candidate who will provide outstanding leadership,” Jericho’s board president, Christopher Foresto, said in a phone interview. “I know Jericho will continue to be led on a path of excellence.”

Kravitz formerly served as superintendent of the Englewood and Englewood Cliffs school districts in New Jersey. Before that, he was principal of an elementary school that won a National Blue Ribbon designation under his leadership — an experience detailed in a book he wrote entitled “Blue Ribbon Story: An Entrepreneur’s Success in Education.”

Kravitz will take on his new job on July 1, the board said. Over the next three months, he will be visiting his new district to meet with students, parents, faculty and others.

“When you see Dr. Kravitz in our buildings during these visits, feel free to say hello and introduce yourselves,” the board said in its release.

John Hildebrand is Newsday’s senior education writer and has covered school news and policy issues affecting Long Island for more than 40 years.