Joe Spero brings experience, steady leadership to Highlands Middle School

Joe Spero brings more than three decades of experience in education to his new role as interim principal of Highlands Middle School, including leadership through Hurricane Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m very good at spontaneous decision-making and things that are in flux,” Mr. Spero said. “When you’re coming into a building midyear, people are accustomed to a certain way of leadership. You have to really listen to what people need.”

He began his career in New York City, teaching grades 7–12 in English, ESL and creative writing at Russell Sage Junior High School and Richmond Hill High School. He later moved to Westchester County, where he taught at Hendrick Hudson High School and diversified the curriculum with more multicultural texts.

His path toward leadership was encouraged by mentors in the Hendrick Hudson district who urged him to pursue administration through a regional cohort program offered by Columbia University and Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES.

“That was a pivotal point for me,” Mr. Spero said. “The district was very encouraging for me to pursue an administrative pathway.”

He earned his School Leadership Certificate from Columbia University and went on to serve in roles that broadened his impact — from assistant principal at Hendrick Hudson to associate principal for instruction at Ossining High School, where he implemented a “school within a school” model inspired by New York City’s small schools movement.

“I started a small school within the larger school and saw a complete cohort of kids graduate,” he said. “That experience shaped how I think about continuity and belonging.”

Mr. Spero’s first stint as principal at East Rockaway Jr./Sr. High School tested his leadership in ways few could anticipate.

Shortly after he began in 2012, Hurricane Sandy devastated the region, rendering school buildings uninhabitable. The district was forced to relocate entirely, splitting grades 7–12 into two vacant buildings in a neighboring district for six months.

“It was a very unique and unfortunate situation,” he recalled. “We had to physically move the district into Baldwin. We divided our building into a 7–8 building and a 9–12 building. It was quite a challenge.

“We had families that were in crisis. We also had teaching staff in crisis,” Mr. Spero continued. “It was very important for me to learn to set aside a lot of the things that you might think are priorities and just focus on people.”

Under his leadership, East Rockaway not only recovered but expanded academically — adding Advanced Placement courses in World History, Psychology, Statistics and Environmental Science; introducing dual-enrollment courses through SUNY Farmingdale; and earning a place on the AP District Honor Roll. 

The school also achieved the Schools of Opportunity Silver Award and implemented the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program in grade 7.

Years later, as principal of Walter Panas High School in the Lakeland Central School District, Mr. Spero would face another unprecedented test: COVID-19.
“Leading a building through COVID was really thinking on the fly,” he said. “In East Rockaway, it was a natural disaster. People had seen something like that before. No one had ever seen COVID-19.”

The pandemic required constant recalibration, including shifting instructional models, prioritizing health and safety, and safeguarding students’ social and emotional well-being.

At Walter Panas, Mr. Spero led committees addressing equity, empowerment, digital citizenship, Advanced Placement, Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). 

He supported students through Student Success Teams (SST), Bridge and OASIS therapeutic support programs, expanded inquiry-based instruction and project-based assessments, and implemented “Panther Prep,” a ninth-grade transition program.

“Sometimes you just have to reprioritize,” Mr. Spero said. “You make decisions no one ever expected a school administrator would have to make.”

After retiring from Walter Panas in October 2024, Mr. Spero chose not to slow down but to seek meaningful interim roles. In White Plains, he has served as interim assistant principal at WPHS, supervised the Guidance Department, acted as a house administrator, led summer school and assisted at George Washington Elementary School.

“I’ve worn a variety of hats this year,” he said. “I feel like I’ve become good at adjusting quickly — meeting staff and interacting with parents in a variety of roles.”

That breadth, he believes, provides a valuable perspective at the middle school level.

“I’ve really been at every level now,” he said. “I’ve gotten to see the district through the long view — where kids start and where they finish. Coming into the middle school, I’ll have a good sense of where our kids are at the elementary level and what they need at the high school level.”

Mr. Spero is also conversationally proficient in Spanish and continues to strengthen his verbal skills to better support families.

“I’m not afraid to use the language when families need that support,” he said.
Of all the districts he has served, Spero says White Plains stands out.

“This is my favorite district I’ve ever worked in,” he said. “It’s a very welcoming place, a very comfortable place. Really hardworking people, very committed to students — to the whole child. Not only their academic success, but giving them the support they need outside the classroom.”

Throughout his career — including leadership roles in Nyack, Ossining and New York City — he says he has felt most at home in multicultural communities like White Plains.

“I’ve always felt most comfortable in diverse settings,” Mr. Spero said. “Coming here to White Plains, I definitely feel very much at home.”

At Highlands, that philosophy positions Mr. Spero to guide the school through transition with clarity and compassion.

“You have to listen,” he said. “You have to focus on people. When you do that, you can move forward — even in the most challenging circumstances.”