The search took six months, but the Pine Bush School District has its new Superintendant of Schools.

Philip Steinberg, currently Executive Officer for Instruction/Superintendant of the New York City Department of Education, will be taking the helm at Pine Bush on September 1.

In his old job, he oversaw 21 schools, 60 administrators, 1,650 teachers, and a budget of $157 million. In his new one, he'll have some slightly smaller numbers to worry about — just seven schools, 20 administrators, 500 teachers, a budget of $100 million and 12 votes, which is the margin by which the most recent school budget passed.

As Board of Education President John Anthony said at the most recent board of education meeting, "Twelve votes; that is the number that we on this board have to remember all the time."

Mr. Steinberg brings skills and experience gained both in the field of education and in the world of business. He has an M.S. in Educational Administration and Supervision from Pace University, and a B.S. in Marketing and Economics from Long Island University. He teaches a course in School Finance and Leadership Perspectives at Fordham University's Graduate School of Education and Administration.

In the past, he has been both a principal of a tough school in Brooklyn and a businessman for many years.

He and his wife, Gail, have a house in Monticello, but at the board of education meeting on August 1, he announced that they have made a move to the Pine Bush district a priority.

Considering the problems he will inherit in the Pine Bush District, he will need all the skills and experience he can muster. With New York State's finances in a meltdown, it is clear there will be little help coming from that direction. With the cost of energy, from heating oil for the buildings to fuel for the school buses, soaring from last year's levels, the district's budget is sure to be under pressure. Add in the new contracts for both teachers and administrators and subtract the willingness of the district taxpayers to come up with more money during the current semi-recessionary times, and what you have is a pretty tough job.

At the board of education meeting where his appointment was made public, Mr. Steinberg said that he was "thrilled about the opportunity that we have here in Pine Bush to work together for the children." He also observed that he had seen "How involved the whole community is. That is a great thing, not every community is like this. I'm really looking forward to meeting the people of the township, as well as the teachers, the parent groups and the rest of the administrators that I've yet to meet."

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