Baker-Butler Elementary School principal to retire

After 25 years working for Albemarle County Public Schools, David Cushman is retiring as Principal of Baker-Butler Elementary School.

“We are enormously indebted to Dave for his exceptional devotion to public education, for the influence of his interpersonal skills, and for the quality of his stewardship during such defining moments as the recent redistricting, which increased the school’s enrollment by 30 percent,” said Dr. Matt Haas, Albemarle’s Assistant Superintendent for Organizational and Human Resource Leadership.

Cushman, who was first hired as a Fine Arts Coordinator, taught at Crozet, Yancey and Meriwether Lewis elementary schools, before serving as an administrator and principal in several other elementary schools.

Prior to working for the county, Cushman and his wife, Kris, worked overseas for 13 years in Africa and the Middle East. They taught at corporate schools such as Tariko College, the Exxon Corporation and ARAMCO.

While Cushman was principal at Baker-Butler, the third largest of 16 elementary schools in Albemarle County, the school received three state Board of Education’s Award for Performance Excellence.

Haas and the division will now turn to the school’s community for input on the search for a new principal. With direction from a community survey, the search will hopefully be completed by July 1, when Cushman’s retirement takes effect.

With dramatic changes to his schedule, Cushman will make time for other interests.

“I am looking forward to spending more time with family and reconnecting with my lifetime passions of music performance, composition and Taekwon-Do,” Cushman said. He is an accomplished musician and a 1^st Dan black belt in Kwon Jae Hwa Taekwon-Do.