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Kentucky School Advocate
January 2016

KSBA director nominees
A nominating committee has put forward the names of four school board members for three-year terms as directors at large on the KSBA Board of Directors. All four currently hold those seats and are seeking a second term as permitted by association bylaws. They are: Larry Dodson of Oldham County, Dianne Mackey of Daviess County, Ramona Malone of Newport Independent and James See of Lawrence County. The nominating committee is appointed by President Allen Kennedy; the general membership will vote on the slate at the Saturday, Feb. 27 business meeting during KSBA’s annual conference in Louisville.

Top resource center
The Ashland Family Resource Center in Ashland Independent Schools has been named the top center in the state for 2015. The center won the Harry J. Cowherd Award for Center Excellence, presented by the Family Resource and Youth Services Centers network during its Fall Institute.

The award recognizes a center that demonstrates excellence beyond regular center operations. It is named for the late Dr. Harry J. Cowherd, former secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Human Resources and an advocate of the Family Resource and Youth Services Centers concept.

The Ashland FRC was singled out for addressing the needs of homeless students and their families.

The center’s director is Geri Willis, who has secured more than $10 million in grants for the center in her 24 years there. In addition to the homeless program, the center has a kinder camp, weekend snack program, program for grandparents raising grandchildren and free book program, among others.

Two other family resource centers were recognized by the FRYSC network: Briarwood FRC in Warren County Schools was first runner up, and the Dorothy Kingston FRC in Christian County Schools was second runner up.

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Program review review
Longtime Boone County school board member Karen Byrd (right) is a member of a statewide task force that is studying program reviews and solutions to challenges related to the program review process. Byrd, a member of KSBA’s board of directors who represents the association on the panel, was one of 16 members named to the task force by Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt. “In the short time I’ve been in Kentucky, one of the things I’ve heard about repeatedly has been concern over program reviews,” Pruitt said. He added the group’s work is the first step in addressing those concerns and making program reviews more effective.

Several superintendents also were named to the task force: Jay Brewer of Dayton Independent Schools, Jerry Green of Pikeville Independent, Terry Hayes of McLean County Schools, and Henry Webb of Floyd County, who represents the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents.

A program review is a school self-evaluation of specific instructional programs aimed at producing improvements in the programs. Currently, schools conduct program reviews in arts and humanities, writing, practical living/career studies and, most recently, K-3 and world languages/global competencies. They must evaluate at least one of these programs annually, with the results factoring into the assessment and accountability system.

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Top superintendent
Daviess County Schools Superintendent Owens Saylor is the state’s 2016 Superintendent of the Year, selected by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators. Saylor has headed Daviess County Schools since July 2012. Since that time, the district’s college and career readiness levels have doubled and its state assessment scores have placed the district in the top 5 percent of the state, earning distinguished district classification for three years running.

Saylor’s tenure also has been marked by improvements in the system’s alternative high school and its Great Expectations initiative aimed at students whose backgrounds may not have included an expectation of college or high career aspirations.

Daviess County Superintendent Owens Saylor, left, receives the 2016 Superintendent
of the Year Award from KASA Executive Director Wayne Young.

Saylor, who holds degrees from University of Kentucky, previously served in building and administrative level positions with Jessamine County schools. He is a member of the American Association of School Administrators Governing Board.