David Gibbardo

David Gibbardo
dgibbardo@spencerportschools.org
(585) 760-4012
David Gibbardo
Occupation: Next year will be my 25 year in education. I have held various positions in an amazing career. I have taught grades 3-6 and held numerous leadership roles from a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) to Assistant Principal for both Elementary and Middle/High School placements.

Family: Linda, wife; son, AJ

Why serve on the Board? I am both extremely grateful and humbled to have been elected for two consecutive terms as a Board Trustee for the Spencerport School District.

Serving on Spencerport’s Board of Education for the past six years has been an amazing experience. I have had the opportunity to meet almost all our dedicated teachers and staff and many outstanding students along with their families. Experience has taught me, serving the residents of our community, one by one is my top priority. Service before self!

Serving the community can have many layers. Many people have contacted me for numerous reasons. This engagement has driven me to my second goal, being the voice of the people. As insignificant as their concern might be to some, if they needed support, information or clarity in anyway-I thrived on successfully advocating in their best interest. I proudly adhere to a 24-hour return phone call policy for any contact.

I was raised to find something that you are passionate about and immerse yourself in it. Volunteerism is one way I can share my skill set and time to not only support our school district but our community and neighboring families.

I personally enjoy attending many sporting events, concerts, plays, classroom visits, road trips to State Championships, roadside memorials and extra-curricular events like Robotics, DECA and homecoming events. I attend and support the efforts of our students and their families who go above and beyond every day to create the best school and family experience possible.

I also worry about our Senior citizen population. In all my decisions, I regularly think about and reference their well-being and financial health. I understand they are on a fixed budget and have limited resources and may no longer have active children in the district. In my vote, Senior Citizens are not forgotten!

As a proud veteran myself, I am grateful for our current and past military personnel living in our community. As well as all the first responders from police, ambulance and Spencerport Volunteer Fire Department. I believe they are some of the true unsung heroes in every community. Along with our senior citizen community, my decisions are partly based on the needs of our veterans (past and current) and in collaboration with the village of Spencerport and the town of Ogden. I truly hope to engage with these groups and have an opportunity to work alongside them in my third term.

What are the top issues facing our schools? I have a seventh grader at Cosgrove Middle School. As parents, my wife and I are sincerely concerned that he tries his best, gets the best education possible and is always kind to others. More important than that, is he returns home on the bus every day. Therefore, in my opinion, school safety is one of the top priorities facing schools today. As a member of the District’s Safety Committee, it has been my experience working with our Safety and Facilities Director and the Town of Ogden Police Department school safety is a top priority in our district!
Not only am I concerned about the physical safety of my son and his friends, but also I am equally concerned about their mental health and wellness. Being part of numerous district committees, I am assured every day that our mental health service providers such as: Family Support Center, coaches, social workers, secretaries, teachers, staff, school counselors, administrators, psychologists, and nurses are keenly aware of our student body and regularly keep a pulse on our children from kindergarten through 12th grade and post-graduation.

Whether you are going to be a lawyer or a trades-person, one primary function of school is preparing our students for college, career and citizenship readiness. In order for our children to possess the 21-Century Skills needed for this readiness is developing and maintaining a strong instructional program. Along with a flourishing partnership with We-Mo-CO, I will continue to support a program that is developed to be comprehensive, student-centered, support diversification, rigorous and allow room for growth and development.

I firmly believe our teachers and staff work exceedingly hard to nurture well-rounded individuals so they can become productive members of our society, now and in their future. We all work hard to allow our children to achieve good grades, but behind every face is an actress, plumber, doctor, therapist, etc. I will continue to support those initiatives that provide opportunities, through clubs and activities, to engage the inner passions of our students.
This list of issues facing our schools could continue on to many other things depending on which lens you are viewing from. Serving on your Board of Education, I have a consistent track record of presenting a school budget that is fair and responsible to our community, approve and sustain numerous student academic and extra-curricular programs, supporting all our bargaining units through the collaborative process and supporting our teachers in their professional and personal lives.

What would you like people to know about you?
Endorsement
No other accolade means more to me than receiving the endorsement of the Spencerport Teachers’ Association (STA). Without a doubt, one of my proudest moments is accepting the endorsement of the STA, for three consecutive terms. If reelected, the needs of the STA would continue to be one of my number one priorities. In my opinion, Spencerport has some of finest most professional teaches in the business.

Military and Education
United States Air Force: Sergeant, Top-Secret Security Clearance (Honorable discharge); Distinguished Graduate: Non-Commissioned Officers Academy (NCO Academy)

Undergraduate in education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; Graduate in elementary education from Roberts Wesleyan College; advanced certificate in educational administration from SUNY Brockport.

Personally, what I would like people to know about me is I am and will be a life-long Spencerport resident. I have been honored to help numerous community members as they navigate through our school system. If reelected, I would be humbled to continue as a voice of the people of Spencerport and the surrounding communities.

In closing, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

I will continue to support the needs of our district and our community in any way that I can. If you have any further questions of me or need clarification in any way, please call me. I would be glad to hear from you.