After 37 years as a teacher, principal and district superintendent, Donald Zimring could have hung up his erasers and called it a career.
Turns out he had more educating to do.
Zimring, 61, this month started a new job as head of school for Brandeis Hillel Day School, both the San Francisco and Marin campuses. He replaces Chaim Heller, who served Brandeis Hillel for nearly 20 years.
The first day of classes is Tuesday, Aug. 28.
Though he had never worked at a Jewish day school before, Zimring thinks his vast public school experience can elevate an independent private institution such as Brandeis Hillel, which is marking its 50th anniversary this school year.
“I come from an educational leadership background,” Zimring said. “The board was looking for that. I knew going in that this was a strong organization — not one in crisis by any stretch — looking for leadership to take it to the next level.”
Though he’s new to professional Jewish education, he is a dedicated Conservative Jew, with a lifelong love of Jewish tradition. Zimring said he was sold on Brandeis Hillel when he first heard the school’s motto: “Integrity. Kindness. Service.”
To him, those terms embody what he views as the best of Judaism. They also were the ideals he tried to inculcate in the wealthy Las Virgenes Unified School District, just north of Los Angeles, where he worked for nearly four decades.
“I spent time with an affluent community, with kids so blessed,” he said, “and I felt these kids needed to give back. One of my crowning achievements, after nearly 12 years of pressing this as a policy issue, was [instituting] a community service policy” — which is something that Brandeis Hillel has long “lived and breathed.”
As for policy and curriculum changes, Zimring said it’s too early to know, but the board is expecting good things from him.
“We’re incredibly excited about what he will bring to Brandeis Hillel based on his experience in the public school system,” said Danny Grossman, chair of the school’s board of trustees. “He brings tremendous scope from the public school world. He’s also been exposed to a lot of trends and themes in the world of education.”
A native of the San Fernando Valley, Zimring grew up in an observant household, though he said Hebrew school was “not my favorite experience” as a kid. Attending classes at Brandeis Bardin Institute in Simi Valley had a huge impact on his personal Jewish education, but by then he was on his way to a stellar career in the public schools.
After graduating from UCLA with a history degree, Zimring worked as a radio reporter and news editor for City News Services in Los Angeles. He later traveled the world while working for the World Affairs Council.
But education was his core interest, and before he turned 30, he began working for the 12,000-student Las Virgenes district, first as a teacher and then as an administrator. He also served on statewide education committees, including one tasked with rewriting California’s Educational Master Plan.
He later worked with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, chairing the accreditation committees for public and private schools, including Jewish day schools.
Zimring and his wife initially had no desire to start over in the Bay Area, but he realized he could bring something valuable to Brandeis Hillel: his knowledge of managing multiple campuses.
At this early stage in his tenure, Zimring has a message for Brandeis Hillel parents.
“We’re all starting our journey together,” he said. “You made a wise investment, not only in a top-flight education, but in our culture as Jews. There will be huge rewards, a return on investment of inestimable value.”