Deputy Superintendent with More Than 30 Years of Experience in the District Selected as Successor
MILLER PLACE, NEW YORK (FEBRUARY 2022)—Starting this summer, Miller Place School District Deputy Superintendent Seth Lipshie will take on the role of superintendent of schools at Miller Place, succeeding Dr. Marianne Cartisano, who is retiring at the end of the 2021-2022 school year after nearly 20 years working in the district.
“Two thirds of my professional career in education have been in Miller Place,” Dr. Cartisano said. “It’s been a wonderful experience to serve in a district that values education and allows us to partner with the community to increase student achievement.”
Dr. Cartisano joined Miller Place in 2003 as assistant superintendent for business, and she was appointed superintendent in 2012. Among her proudest achievements include the implementation of a full-day kindergarten program in 2013 and pre-kindergarten, which became universally available to Miller Place School District families in the 2021-2022 school year.
Dr. Cartisano also spearheaded the implementation of technology in the classroom, helping Miller Place become, in 2005, one of the earliest districts to introduce Smart Board technology in every classroom and teaching environment. In 2020, the district completed its one-to-one learning device initiative, which ensured that every student in the district had a personal internet-connected device to augment learning. Dr. Cartisano said other achievements she is most proud of include expanding secondary opportunities for students to pursue their interests in athletics, business, and the arts; placing Miller Place on solid financial footing; and boosting the district’s bond rating with Moody’s Investor Services to Aa2, which is among the highest a municipality can achieve.
Dr. Cartisano said she feels confident that her successor, Seth Lipshie, will maintain Miller Place’s long-term financial planning and positive Moody’s rating, build upon the positive relationships the district has developed with its bargaining units and the community, and continue the district’s initiatives focused on technology integration in the classroom.
“I want to thank the leadership teams, board trustees, union presidents and the building and district-level administrators who make it all happen in Miller Place,” Dr. Cartisano said.
In selecting Seth Lipshie as the district’s next superintendent of schools, Board President Johanna Testa noted Mr. Lipshie’s more than 30 years of experience working in Miller Place, and the fact that he has spent most of his entire career in the district. From 1990 to 2001, Mr. Lipshie was a social studies teacher and in 2001 he became assistant principal at North Country Road Middle School. From 2002 to 2010 he served as principal of Miller Place High School before being appointed as assistant superintendent in 2010 and deputy superintendent in 2014.
“I pretty much knew in third grade that I wanted to be a teacher, and I’ve never wavered from that,” Mr. Lipshie said while noting the impact of educators. “Students spend one-third of their day with teachers, and when you’re an adult, and you look back at the most influential people in your life, one or two will probably be a teacher.”
The appeal of working in education and Miller Place has not faded. “I’m still just as excited to come to work every day as I was 20 to 25 years ago,” he said.
Going back to the earliest days of his career, Mr. Lipshie said he is proud that after launching the National Junior Honor Society at North Country Middle School and the Mock Trial Club at Miller Place High School, the two organizations still operate to this day.
“When you build a structure that can continue after you’re gone, that’s an achievement,” he said.
Mr. Lipshie looks to continue his solid relationships with the various stakeholders in the district, through discussions and negotiations with staff and union representatives ensuring that all parties walk away having felt that their voices were heard.
“Initially, stability and continuity are things I bring to the table, and I have a good handle on,” Mr. Lipshie said. “I’ve built collaborative cultures within the administration and among the staff, and I look forward to interacting more directly with students, parents/guardians and the community.”
Looking to the future, Mr. Lipshie seeks to continue the integration of technology in the classroom and the incorporation of evidence-based research into learning. “I look forward to using data, research and feedback from both the community and staff,” he said, “to shape learning for student success.”
For more information about the Miller Place School District, please visit the District’s website at www.millerplace.k12.ny.us. To read more about the great things happening in Miller Place schools, visit www.millerplaceinthemedia.com and ‘like’ our Facebook page.
