Longevity lauded
Kentucky’s longest-serving school board member retired in May, after 55 years and five months of service. Shirley “Buck” Treadway, 89, spent all but a few months of that tenure as chairman of his Barbourville Independent Board of Education.
“I’ve been very dedicated to this school system. I’ve enjoyed the years that we’ve had success and hope it will continue for years to come,” Treadway said at a May 23 district reception honoring him and outgoing Superintendent Larry Warren, according to the Barbourville Mountain Advocate.
Among those praising the 89-year-old Treadway was KSBA Executive Director Mike Armstrong, who noted, “Servant leaders do so not for their own ego or personal gain. Instead they serve to genuinely benefit their community. To that end, Buck Treadway has maintained that service since 1961. His service to the children and youth in the Barbourville Independent school system will be forever appreciated.”
KSBA Executive Director Mike Armstrong, right, presents a certificate to
Shirley “Buck” Treadway in appreciation of his longtime school board service.
(Photo courtesy of Emily Baker/Barbourville Mountain Advocate)
Warren observed, “You can be great in this lifetime but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a good person. But if you’re a good person, a good man, then you are great. Mr. Treadway is a good, great man. He saved this school system on four distinct occasions.”
During the reception, state Rep. Jim Stewart III (R-Flat Lick) presented Treadway with a street sign marking his record-setting service. The sign will be erected at a location of Treadway’s choosing in Barbourville.
With Treadway retired, East Bernstadt Independent board Chairman Gene Allen becomes Kentucky’s longest-serving board member, closing in on the 50-year mark.
Steering the accountability ship
The steering committee that will advise Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt on developing a new education accountability system includes K-12 representatives at all levels, along with leaders of education organizations among its 37 members.
Appointees named by Pruitt include KSBA Executive Director Mike Armstrong, along with the executive directors of the Education Professional Standards Board, Kentucky Association of School Councils, Partnership for Successful Schools, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Kentucky Association of School Superintendents and Kentucky Association of School Administrators; and the presidents of the Kentucky Education Association and the Kentucky PTA.
A half-dozen superintendents also serve on the task force, including Jay Brewer, Dayton Independent; Emmanuel Caulk, Fayette County; Rob Fletcher, Lawrence County; Donna Hargens, Jefferson County; Alan Reed, Adair County; and Rachel Yarbrough, Webster County.
The panel is tasked with looking at the input that’s been gathered and the recommendations of five working groups assigned to aspects of the new system.