AUGUSTA – School Superintendent Cornelia Brown is resigning after 13 years as the head of the city’s schools.

Brown will stay on the job until Dec. 31, when she will leave to become executive director of the Maine School Management Association.

Brown gave her resignation letter to the Augusta Board of Education at Wednesday’s meeting.

“All children are precious, but the Augusta School Department is truly an extraordinary place,” Brown said in her resignation letter. “I feel very fortunate to have been part of a team of dedicated individuals who give so selflessly, from elected officials, to educators, to parents, to ensure that students have every opportunity possible.”

Mayor William Stokes, who was on the Augusta Board of Education for several years while Brown was superintendent, said she provided “terrific service” to the city.

Brown said Thursday that she resigned because of the opportunity at the Maine School Management Association, which has had only three directors since its creation in 1971.

She said Augusta’s schools are in much better shape than when she arrived in 1999, when Cony High School was on probation by an accrediting organization. She said 55 percent of Augusta students went on to post-secondary education at the time.

“We now have a new Cony High School, and it received accolades (from the accrediting organization) for curriculum, facilities and focus on students,” Brown said. “Now 80 percent of our students go on to a post-secondary experience.”

Jane Dennison, an at-large Board of Education member, said Brown was fiscally responsible and worked to bring new programs, such as preschool for 4-year-olds and all-day kindergarten, to Augusta.

“She’s a go-getter,” Dennison said.

Brown previously was superintendent of School Administrative Unit 2 in Meredith, N.H.

“I think she did the job the previous board hired her to do,” said Ward 2 Augusta Board of Education member Deborah Towle. “I think she did a really good job and think change is going to be positive for the Augusta School District. We’re going to do this in the most positive way we can and move forward.”

Susan Campbell, chairwoman of the Augusta Board of Education, could not be reached for comment.

Brown’s latest contract in Augusta was good through 2013. She makes about $100,000 a year.

Brown plans to start her new job as executive director of the Maine School Management Association Jan. 1. The Maine School Management Association is a statewide nonprofit federation that advocates for and supports local school boards and superintendents through the Maine School Boards Association and the Maine School Superintendents Association.

Brown is the Kennebec County representative on the executive committee of the Maine School Superintendents Association.

Augusta Schools have about 2,370 students in four elementary schools and Cony High School, which accommodates middle school students and is attached to Capital Area Technical Center, a regional technical education facility.

Brown said in her resignation letter that Augusta schools have created innovative and successful programs during her tenure.

“We gave 4-year-old students access to universal preschool,” Brown wrote in her resignation letter. “We implemented all-day kindergarten. We built a state-of-the-art comprehensive high school. Our community has overwhelmingly supported the school department’s budget and recommendations. Notably, we’ve seen steady improvement in student achievement. Perhaps most significantly, we’ve achieved all of these important goals in the face of enormous financial challenges.”

Kennebec Journal Staff Writer Keith Edwards can be contacted at 621-5647, or at:

kedwards@centralmaine.com