(Louisville, KY) KSBA hosted its 2024 Annual Conference March 1-3 at The Galt House Hotel in Louisville. The annual awards luncheon on Saturday, March 2 served as a celebration of award-worthy education leaders and student scholarships.

Mike Waller, a 30-year member of the Henderson County Board of Education, was named KSBA’s 2024 Kentucky School Board Member of the Year. 

“He embodies all of the district’s seven core values, but the one that he demonstrates most is core value number seven: Be the Change Agent,” Waller’s nomination said. “He has changed the trajectory of the lives of thousands of students, and in turn, changed the trajectory of our great community.”

The nomination also described Waller as an experienced parliamentarian, respectful even in disagreement, and a passionate alum of the district. He is credited with being “instrumental in enacting the reforms that came with the Kentucky Education Reform Act in the 1990s.”

In between two standing ovations from more than 700 conference attendees, a humbled Waller shared the award with this family and fellow board team members, many of whom were in attendance, and Henderson County Schools personnel. 

“I would like to accept this award today on behalf of more than 1,000 classified and certified employees of the Henderson County School District, one of the greatest teams I’ve ever worked with or been on,” Waller said.

Winning the association’s top individual honor came as a surprise to him.

“While a shock to him, it came as no surprise to those of us who have had the pleasure of getting to know him and observing his exemplary board service,” said KSBA Executive Director Kerri Schelling.

KSBA’s Kentucky School Board Member of the Year award, established in 2022, recognizes significant contributions to public education through service on local school boards. The award is presented to an individual who, among other things, exemplifies leadership best practices, passionately advocates for needs of the district, demonstrates the highest ethical standards and celebrates the values of public service. This year’s award was sponsored by American Fidelity Educational Services. 

KSBA’s top district honor, the Public Education Achieves in Kentucky Award, or PEAK Award, was established in 1997 to focus statewide attention on outstanding public school efforts in the Commonwealth and promote the positive impact public education has on students.

The 2024 PEAK Award was presented to Woodford County Schools for a unique collaboration between the district, local community and private sector. 

Woodford County High School students, as part of their 2022-2023 Purpose in Action Collaborative Project, worked together with Berea Makerspace and Parker Hannifin, a manufacturing company, to design an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant work cell. Along the way, students engaged in learning opportunities to increase their understanding of ADA accommodations. 

“The program’s objective was to develop a prototype that puts workplace accessibility for persons with disabilities at the forefront of employment and to open a pipeline of job opportunities to support positive postsecondary outcomes,” Schelling said during the award presentation. 

The project was made possible in large part by $217,000 in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan, allocated to the district by the Kentucky Department of Education for use in designated initiatives to address postsecondary transition efforts. 

Woodford County Superintendent Danny Adkins, joined by Chief Information Officer Josh Rayburn, Agriculture Teacher Conner Richardson, Physical Therapist Jennie Hayes and Public Information and Communications Officer Elaine Bailey, accepted the award on the district’s behalf. 

The project helped students become resilient learners because it required trial and error and allowed them to acquire other skills needed to succeed after high school, he said. 

“They learned how to collaborate and cooperate with each other. They learned empathy. They learned all the things that make us good citizens,” Adkins said. “So, this project was not just a learning project, it was a life project.”

The event also recognized Kentucky high school students who will receive financial support for career and postsecondary advancement, made possible by KSBA and the KSBA Educational Foundation. 

Five high school seniors were each awarded $2,500 college scholarships. KSBA’s First Degree College Scholarship program provides aid to eligible high school seniors who will be in the first in their immediate families to complete a postsecondary degree program. Students must also meet minimum academic requirements. 

All five recipients were honored on the conference stage:

KSBA also acknowledged its 2024 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Student Grant recipients. A total of 42 high school students from across Kentucky were each awarded grants to help offset costs associated with the completion of industry certification.

“These are students who will ultimately graduate high school with career certifications, some directly entering the work force, others pursuing postsecondary education,” Schelling said.

Click here to see the complete list of KSBA’s 2023 CTE Student Grant recipients.

KSBA’s 2023 First Degree College Scholarships were sponsored in part by American Fidelity Educational Services and Houchens Insurance Group Education. 

KSBA also announced top honors to a Kentucky superintendent’s administrative assistant for her contributions to public education. The Kentucky Organization of Superintendents’ Administrative Assistants (KOSAA), facilitated by KSBA, named the winner of its “KOSAA KUP.”  

“That’s KUP with a ‘K’ which stands for knowledge, understanding and passion,” Schelling said. “The KUP honors the exemplary service of KOSAA members and celebrates their significant contributions to public education through service in their district.”

This year’s honoree was Valarie Blair of Johnson County who has served as administrative assistant to the superintendent since 2004.

Blair, who started with the district 33 years ago as an elementary school computer lab aide, is set to retire this summer.