Kentucky School Advocate

June 2024

By Kevin Woosley

Chair, KSBA Educational Foundation

Hello school board members and fellow former school board members. 

As the chair of the KSBA Educational Foundation board of directors, I am thrilled to get to provide you all an update on the Foundation.

As a former member of the Oldham County Board of Education, I know how busy and exciting this time of the year can be for you all. Seeing all the hard work pay off by watching this year’s graduates receive their diplomas is the most rewarding gift we can receive. Seeing families celebrate the successful completion of a school year, and the promise of what’s to come, makes it all worthwhile.  

With the June 4 school board election filing deadline having now passed, many of you will be nearing the end of your terms. Some of you are retiring from board service while others will face competition this fall to retain your seats. Either way, KSBA joins those in your communities in thanking you for your tireless service on behalf of your students. I served 13 wonderful years on the Oldham County board and was in my third year on the KSBA board of directors when I made the difficult decision to accept an appointment to the Oldham County Fiscal Court. Leaving board service was heartbreaking because I felt like I was leaving behind family. Our board team had become very close. Several of us had served together for many years and we had become good friends. The same with the association’s board. Because we all had the same goals of serving our communities, we formed strong connections. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to serve KSBA through its foundation. 

As the foundation chair, it’s been inspiring to see so many KSBA members and friends of the association contributing to the KSBA Educational Foundation this year in support of student success. On behalf of KSBA and its foundation, we are so grateful.

Because of the generous gifts from members, friends and partners like you, the foundation has been able to provide financial aid to eligible Kentucky high school students through our First Degree College Scholarship and CTE Student Grant programs. But did you know that funding from the foundation over the years has also supported initiatives such as KSBA’s former School Emergency Management Program, finance training for district leaders, special resources for school boards and even emergency relief for Western Kentucky districts impacted by the devasting tornadoes in 2021?

The foundation is just one of the many ways KSBA supports our school districts and the students they serve, and I urge you to get involved! The KSBA Educational Foundation is now accepting applications for scheduled vacancies on its board of directors. If you wish to learn more about how you can serve KSBA (and Kentucky) at the state level in this way, visit KSBAEF.org and consider completing an application today.

Thank you all again for your commitment to KSBA, the KSBA Educational Foundation and your local communities. I wish all of you a fun, safe summer.