The following is a republished press release from the Ithaca City School District and NOT written by the Ithaca Voice … click here to submit community announcements directly to The Voice, or contact me at msmith@ithacavoice.com.

ITHACA, NY – The New York State Council of School Superintendents announced that Superintendent Dr. Luvelle Brown of the Ithaca City School District has been named the 2017 New York State School Superintendent of the Year.

“This is a well-deserved honor for Dr. Brown as he has delivered on his promises,” said ICSD Board of Education President Robert Ainslie. “The amazing results and transformation in our school district are evident for all to see.”

Dr. Brown was appointed as the ICSD superintendent in 2011. He worked collaboratively with the community to establish a vision of “6000+ Thinkers” and a mission to “Engage, Educate, Empower.”

Since 2011, the ICSD graduation rate has skyrocketed from 78 percent to above 90 percent while all student groups are reaching unprecedented levels of performance, including
· an 8 percent increase in enrollment and diversity in higher-level courses;

· a 58 percent increase in enrollment in co-curricular programs;

· a 7 percent increase in the number of students reading on grade level K-5;

· a 64 percent reduction in discipline referrals;

· and a reduction of the special education classification rate in ICSD from significantly above the state average (14.8 percent) to significantly below (11.6 percent).

“I am overjoyed,” said Dr. Brown. “This special recognition is a tribute to the exceptional efforts and accomplishments of the entire Ithaca City School District community.”

Council Executive Director Dr. Charles Dedrick said, “Luvelle is truly deserving of this recognition for his leadership at the state and national levels, his effective and creative use of technology in education, and for his passion and dedication to the students within the Ithaca City School District. In fact, Luvelle was the first person who introduced me to the importance of social media in education and was one of the reasons why I joined Twitter when I was a district superintendent.”

Prior to becoming superintendent, Dr. Brown had experiences as a teacher, coach, principal, and school chief information officer. He has been an active community leader, serving in leadership roles for various non-profit organizations such as Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. and co-founding the Central Virginia chapter of 100 Black Men of America.

Council President Patricia Sullivan-Kriss, West Hempstead said, “Luvelle has been an important voice in education for the State of New York and the students he serves. His innovation in technology and program implementation is well known and regarded. We congratulate him on this important recognition and are delighted that he will represent the superintendents of our state for the national superintendent of the year.”

Dr. Brown has received various awards and recognition for his leadership. He was honored by the National School Boards Association as a “20-to-Watch” and received the Center for Digital Education Top 30 Award. In 2014, he received the eSchool News Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award.

Dr. Brown was also selected by the U.S. Department of Education as one of the nation’s top 100 innovative superintendents. Along with that distinction, Dr. Brown was invited to be a featured speaker at President Barack Obama’s first National Superintendent Summit at the White House. Dr. Brown serves on the New York State Council of School Superintendents’ Executive Committee, The School Superintendents Association Digital Consortium, The Center for Digital Education Advisory Council, and CoSN’s Empowered Superintendent Advisory Panel.

Dr. Brown is a highly regarded speaker, addressing a range of topics for local, regional, and national audiences. He has published numerous articles and is the co-author of ThinkTweets: 100 Transformative Tweets for Educators.

As the New York State Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Brown now becomes New York’s candidate for national superintendent of the year – to be awarded at AASA’s National Conference on Education in New Orleans, LA scheduled for March 2-4, 2017.

The Superintendent of the Year Award was established in 1988 by AASA and is co-sponsored by the ARAMARK Education, the Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, and AASA.