Statewide honors for Bass
Citing her contributions to KSBA and service to local school districts, the Kentucky School Public Relations Association has honored Policy and Procedures Director Dara Bass with the Richard Thornton Award. The award is presented to an individual or organization for exceptional leadership and dedication to public education in Kentucky. KYSPRA created the award in 2001 to honor the contributions to public education made by Thornton, a long-time KYSPRA member and past president of the National School Public Relations Association.
Bass, at far right receiving her award from KYSPRA President Erin Stewart, is retiring at the end of December. She has been with KSBA’s Policy and Procedures Service for more than 29 years and has overseen the growth and development of the service to the point where it provides, maintains and updates policy manuals for 172 of Kentucky’s 173 school districts and five educational cooperatives.
In accepting the award, Bass thanked not only her staff but “all the many wonderful district folks with whom it has been my pleasure to work on behalf of the children and communities throughout the state.”
Bass, a former teacher, has helped create new services that help local school districts, including administrative procedures, employee and coaches’ handbooks, online manuals and the electronic board meeting system called eMeeting. She also has overseen the formation of a professional development group for superintendents’ administrative assistants (KOSAA), which her department assists.
A former president of the American Association of State Policy Services, Bass has been a regular presenter on policy-related issues at training events for KSBA and other organizations.
Regional leadership complete
The 2013 round of elections to regional leadership positions on the KSBA Board of Directors is complete with the selection of three people to fill remaining slots. The elections were held at KSBA’s Fall Regional Meetings in those regions.
Marshall Jenkins, who was appointed in July to fill a vacancy representing the Eastern Kentucky North Region, won election to the seat. Jenkins, who previously served on the KSBA board, is a radiological technologist and adjunct instructor at Morehead State University. He has been a member of the Morgan County school board since 2003 and is its current chairman. Jenkins also chairs the Kids First political action committee. He holds associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Morehead.
Russellville Independent board member Davonna Page is the new regional chairperson for the Third Region. Page, who also has been a school board member since 2003, is a paralegal who holds a pair of associate degrees from Western Kentucky University and graduated from Russellville High. She has presented at both KSBA annual conferences and the National School Boards Association’s annual conference. Page is active in her church, having served as church clerk and on various committees.
A longtime member of the Shelby County school board now represents the Fifth Region on the KSBA board. Allen Phillips, who has been a school board member since 1989, is now serving as vice chairman, but also has chaired the Shelby County board during his tenure. Phillips is a dairy farmer and a director and past president of the Shelby County Farm Bureau, and a member of the Catttlemen’s Association. He is a graduate of Shelby County High School and U.S. Army Garrison Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
Clean sweep
Four school districts were honored in November for their overall school public relations efforts. The Boyd, Jefferson, Oldham and Nelson county districts were singled out as Sweepstakes winners in the 2013 OASIS (Outstanding Achievement in School Information Services) professional development program.
The program is sponsored by the Kentucky School Public Relations Association and KSBA. The Sweepstakes Award recognizes the body of work of a district in each of the four enrollment divisions.