State Sen. Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury, was named Senate Leader of the Year by the state School Boards Association.

Little represents the 45th senate district, comprised by Parishville, Lawrence, Clare, Colton, Hopkinton, Piercefield and portions of Franklin, Clinton, Essex, Warren and Washington Counties.

The award was presented to Little at the association’s capital conference at the Albany Hilton recently.

Timothy Kremer, executive director of the association, called Little a true champion of education and a leading voice for high-need and rural school districts.

“As a member of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Mandate Relief Council, she has advocated for mandate relief efforts to help school districts do more with less,” Kremer said. “In that vein, we greatly appreciate that she sponsored the cooperative purchasing legislation.”

Kremer also cited Little’s support of uniform scheduling and bell times for school districts and increased digital learning opportunities for students.

Little has been a member of the Senate since 2003. Prior to that, she served in the state Assembly for seven years.

She currently chairs the Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks & Recreation Committees.