Kentucky School Advocate
December 2022

Clayton named national superintendent of the year      
Rob Clayton of Warren County Schools has been named national superintendent of the year by the National Association of School Superintendents (NASS).

“We value our people; we know that our people are going to determine the level of success for our students and, in turn, our students’ success impacts our greater community,” Clayton said in a news release from the district. “It’s special to be in a position to work with such dedicated professionals who are truly committed to our kids.”

Clayton, who has been Warren County superintendent since 2013, was also named the Kentucky 2023 Superintendent of the Year by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators earlier this year. Warren County Schools is the fourth largest and fastest-growing public school district in Kentucky, the release said.“Rob Clayton is known for his ardent commitment to academic excellence in his district, county, and state,” Jim Capolupo, selection panel member and former national superintendent of the year, said in a release from NASS.  

Under Clayton’s tenure, the district has grown its workforce to almost 3,000 employees throughout 15 elementary schools, four middle schools, four high schools and five alternative schools. WCPS is the third largest employer in both Bowling Green and Warren County.

Finalists also included Nikki Woodson of Metropolitan School District of Washington Township in Indianapolis and Phillip Barry Williams of Gates County Public Schools in Gatesville, North Carolina.

Williamstown Independent board selects superintendent          
The Williamstown Independent school board has hired Johnathan Slone as its next superintendent.

“It is an honor to have been selected to serve the staff, families, and community of Williamstown as superintendent of the Williamstown Independent School District,” he said.Slone has been an educator for 27 years and has also served as a teacher and administrator in Kentucky and Ohio. Slone was assistant superintendent and principal at Robertson County Schools. He previously served as director of technology and federal programs for Bath County Schools, principal at Bath County Middle School and as assistant principal at Scott High School.

As an agriculture teacher, he worked in Ohio and Kentucky with students on leadership development and served as a state officer for the Kentucky Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association.

He has a bachelor’s and master’s in vocational education at Morehead State University and Rank I in educational administration from Xavier University.

Effort to recall Fayette County tax fails          
An effort by a citizens group to recall a Fayette school board tax levy failed due to lack of signatures. The committee trying to recall the tax increase approved by the school board did not get the needed 5,000 names on a petition by the Oct. 28 deadline.

The petition committee used both digital and paper petitions during the 50 days it had to gather signatures after the board’s vote but estimated that they fell about 1,000 signatures short.For the 2021-22 fiscal year, homeowners in Fayette County paid property taxes of 80.8 cents per $100 of assessed value. School board members approved 83.3 cents per $100 of assessed value in September. The increase will cost an owner of a $100,000 home $25 more.

The district plans to use the increased revenue to complete more than half of the projects on its district facilities plan.

Registration open for COSSBA inaugural Annual Conference          
Registration is now open for the inaugural Annual Conference for the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA).

The conference will bring together school board members and education leaders from across the country March 31 – April 2 in Tampa, Florida. COSSBA will also host an Urban Boards Alliance Day on March 30 to discuss challenging environments for urban, suburban and rural districts.

You can visit COSSBA’s website (cossba.org) for a summary of keynote speakers, hotel accommodations and instructions for online registration.