The Clarke County School District (CCSD) is pleased to announce Matthew Rubenstein, Director of String Music Programs at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School, as its 2026-27 Teacher of the Year, and Kathryn Brown, Math and Science Instructional Coach at Clarke Middle School, as its Support Professional of the Year.

The winners were announced on Thursday, October 22, during the annual CCSD Teacher and Support Professional of the Year awards banquet. In total, 44 people — 22 building-level winners in each category from all CCSD schools and special academic programs that had eligible candidates according to the district’s selection criteria — were celebrated at the banquet by the district in partnership with the Foundation for Excellence in Public Education in Clarke County (Athens FFE). Georgia United Credit Union (GUCU) was the presenting sponsor for this year’s Teacher of the Year program, while Robins Financial Union was the presenting sponsor for the Support Professional of the Year program. Mr. Rubenstein and Ms. Brown received checks from GUCU and Robins Financial, respectively, along with a gift wagon filled with gifts donated by dozens of local businesses.

After being announced last month, all building-level teachers and support professionals of the year submitted applications for the districtwide awards. The district Support Professional of the Year was chosen by a district-appointed committee of communications professionals from districts across Georgia, who reviewed applications to determine this year’s winner. The pool of Teacher of the Year applications was narrowed down to three finalists — Mr. Rubenstein, Cindy Alexander of Whitehead Road Elementary School, and William “Montu” Miller of Cedar Shoals High School — who were then evaluated through classroom visits and scored by a panel of judges on a rubric developed by the district. As Teacher of the Year, Mr. Rubenstein will now represent CCSD in the statewide competition for 2028 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

“Congratulations to our District Teacher of the Year and Support Professional of the Year, as well as all of this year's outstanding nominees and school-level winners,” said CCSD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott. “Their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence make a difference in the lives and futures of our students every day. It is both an honor and a privilege to work alongside such remarkable educators and support professionals.”

About the Teacher of the Year

The winner of the Athens FFE’s Mae M. Whatley Teacher of the Year award, Matthew Rubenstein has been with CCSD since 2019, first as the orchestra and band director at Clarke Middle School and since 2021 at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle, where he currently teaches orchestra and classical guitar classes. He has more than 20 years of music education experience and previously taught in Liberty, Clayton, and Greene counties. Mr. Rubenstein holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University, a master’s from Georgia College and State University, and his education specialist degree from Piedmont University, all in Music Education.

Mr. Rubenstein has shared that his experience as a middle school band student fundamentally shaped his teaching philosophy and has credited his band director at the time for helping him overcome personal struggles and family challenges and discover his musical ability and sense of self-worth. He has sought to have that same type of impact on his students and has said that his favorite part of teaching is helping students see themselves differently and creating a classroom environment where every student can “feel seen, heard, challenged, and certain they belong.”

“My responsibility is not simply to teach students to play an instrument or perform a piece of music,” said Mr. Rubenstein. “It is to create a space where they feel safe enough to take risks, express themselves freely, celebrate their identities, make mistakes, and discover their own worth.”

Mr. Rubenstein has consistently put those beliefs into practice. He not only has led his orchestras to achieve superior ratings (the highest level of achievement) in area performance evaluations; he has also spearheaded music education enrichment opportunities for his students outside of school, including a longstanding partnership with the Lead Guitar program at the University of Georgia’s Hodgson School of Music and fundraising and organization efforts that led to more than 40 BHL orchestra and band students having the opportunity to perform on the historic Carnegie Hall stage in New York City in March 2026 as part of the WorldStrides Honors Performance Series.

“Mr. Rubenstein is an outstanding educator who believes in providing students with experiences and opportunities that they may not otherwise be afforded,” said Dr. Annie Turman, Principal of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School. “He models for them the importance of hard work and dedication while balancing awareness and support of his students' social and emotional needs. His ability to balance high expectations with genuine care for students reflects his strong commitment to their academic and personal growth.” 

BHL student Maritza Martinez Lopez described Mr. Rubenstein as “not only just an amazing teacher” but “one of the best human beings I have ever met.”

“He always teaches that being the best isn’t what we are learning about; we learn that each day is about getting better and correcting our mistakes while also learning from them,” Maritza said. “He is a very enjoyable person to have in your life. He deserves this award because he deserves to be recognized as the amazing teacher he is, and no matter how hard it is to teach many students at once (with) all of the students learning differently, he still shows each and every one of them the same amount of support they need. 

“He believes in every one of his students.”

About the Support Professional of the Year

The winner of the FFE’s Janis J. Stephens Support Professional of the Year award, Kathryn Brown has served as the Math and Science Instructional Coach at Clarke Middle since 2023. She began her career with CCSD in 2006 as a math teacher at Hilsman Middle School and then spent nine years teaching math at Westside Middle School in Barrow County before returning to Clarke County at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle, first as a math teacher and then as an instructional coach from 2018 to 2023. Ms. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science Education from the University of Georgia, along with a master’s in Middle Grades Math and Science and an education specialist degree in Teacher Leadership from Valdosta State University. 

In her role as instructional coach, Ms. Brown works closely with teachers to hone teaching techniques and practices that help boost student achievement and inspire students’ lifelong interest in and love of math and science.

“I became a teacher to have a positive impact on the world around me. Throughout my primary and secondary education, I was fortunate to learn from amazing teachers, each with a different style and different expectations,” said Ms. Brown. “The first time I entered my own classroom, I felt an excitement for my job that genuinely surprised me. That excitement has never faded, even now as I serve as an instructional coach. Walking into a classroom and watching teachers and students gain knowledge together is one of the most amazing things anyone can witness.”

At Clarke Middle and throughout her time with CCSD, Ms. Brown has led or co-led several initiatives designed to deepen and enrich students’ learning in experiences in science and math, including the MathCounts team, school team participation in Future City STEM competitions, science fairs, and science olympiad competitions. She has also focused much of her work on collaborating with teachers to analyze data and develop targeted teaching strategies and learning activities that have led to substantial increases and improvements in student performance on standardized tests. 

“One of the most rewarding aspects of being an instructional coach is seeing the impact of strong instruction on student achievement across all levels in the school. By partnering with teachers to improve learning for all students, we have been able to create meaningful and sustainable change in our school,” said Ms. Brown. “Being able to work in the community where I live is important to me. I met my husband when we were both teaching at Hilsman Middle School, and all four of our children will have attended Clarke County Schools from pre-K through graduation. 

“The teachers in our district have a passion for education that cannot be matched anywhere else. I am grateful that my children have the opportunity to grow and learn in CCSD, and am proud to be part of a community that is committed to doing incredible things for its students and families.”