Greene County's Patrick Miller named N.C. Superintendent of the Year

A homegrown educator received a prestigious award this week.

Patrick Miller was awarded the 2019 A. Craig Phillips Superintendent of the Year Tuesday. Miller, who graduated from Greene Central in 1988, is in his 11th year in the position and has seen a strong uptick in Greene County education.

Under Miller, the Greene County school system has seen a graduation rate of 94.5 percent, fifth-highest in the state. Also, 91 percent of teachers in the county met or exceeded growth expectations on state assessments during the 2016-17 season.

“We’re exceptionally proud of what he’s done for Greene County,” Greene Central principal Patrick Greene said of Miller. “He was a runner-up in 2014 and we were all tickled that he got another shot. We knew he was up against tough competition and I’m glad he got the recognition he deserves.

“Being a hometown guy, he’s done his best to make the place he grew up a great place to learn and he does it with limited resources, making our jobs as principals and teachers that much better.”

Miller graduated from UNC with a degree in music education in 1993 and went to Greene Central to teach choral music and theatre arts. He later earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from ECU and became the principal of West Greene Elementary in 2005, taking the superintendent position three years later.

“Ironically, the only place my wife and I could get jobs after college was locally and the rest was history,” Miller said. “(The award) is certainly the culmination of many years of hard work in Greene County and a reflection of the team we have been able to assemble over the past 11 years.

“There are fantastic people in place who work hard and put children first, which has been critical in helping me become selected.”

Miller has also been busy serving on numerous state boards, including President of the N.C. Alliance for School Leadership Development, Chairman of the N.C. Professional Educators Preparation and Standards Commission and member on the executive council of the N.C. Association of School Administrators.

Miller said he’ll continue to do his part for Greene County.

“The work is never done, and there’s one thing I’m particularly proud of in receiving this award,” Miller said. “For the first time in many, many years there’s a winner in North Carolina east of I-95.”