Virginia Beach City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. James G. Merrill has been named the Virginia Superintendent of the Year. The announcement was made Tuesday evening, May 8, at the Virginia Association of School Superintendents' (VASS) annual conference in Roanoke. VASS selected Merrill from among eight regional Superintendents of the Year. Serving on the selection committee were the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the presidents of the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia PTA, VASS and the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. This is the first time a Virginia Beach superintendent has been recognized in the history of the award.

In announcing the award and making the presentation to Dr. Merrill, VASS President Pam Moran cited his "innovative, visionary and bold" leadership in facilitating VBCPS' adoption of its groundbreaking strategic plan, Compass to 2015. The plan, with its focus on teaching the 21st century skills essential to students' success as lifelong learners, citizens, and workers, has brought VBCPS regional and national attention as a cutting-edge initiative.

“There were many well-deserving candidates but Jim stood out because of his focus on strategic planning and all he has done in Virginia Beach to raise academic achievement while also promoting career-readiness skills,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said. “ Jim is a leading voice in state-level and national conversations about issues facing urban school systems and the educational challenges of military children. He is a leader who works hard and always puts the interests of Virginia Beach Public Schools first.”

"This honor is extremely humbling, said Merrill. "Although I am the recipient, this award reflects the hard work of the 10,000-plus employees who work tirelessly for and with children. Our challenge as educators remains one of finding creative strategies to engage our students in meaningful work in and out of the classroom that will provide them the education and skills they need for success in life." This is the second time in his career that Dr. Merrill has received statewide recognition for his visionary leadership. In 2005, when he was the superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington School System, he was named North Carolina Superintendent of the Year by the North Carolina School Boards Association and the North Carolina Association of School Administrators.

Dr. Merrill was named superintendent of the Virginia Beach public schools, the third largest school division in Virginia, in 2006. In addition to launching VBCPS' Compass to 2015, he has strategically developed and sustained an operating budget of more than half a billion dollars and facilitated a long-range plan for improving school facilities. He has improved levels of parental involvement, especially with underserved populations, and instituted innovative technology across the division, including whiteboards; an electronic grade book; AlertNow, an information and emergency notification service; and the VBCPS Parent Portal, a powerful online tool that allows parents to monitor their children's progress in school.

"We are fortunate to have a superintendent of this caliber leading our school system. Dr. Merrill is quite simply a powerful advocate for children and exemplifies all that is good about public education," said Virginia Beach School Board Chairman Daniel D. Edwards.

As the 2013 Virginia Superintendent of the Year, Merrill is eligible for the National Superintendent of the Year Award which will be announced in February 2013 at the American Association of School Administrators' Annual Conference in San Diego.

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Department of Media and Communications Development, vbcpsweb@vbschools.com