State of Schools Speech Set for August 1st
Veteran educator Rita Pierson once said, “Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be.”
In the Fayette County Public Schools, we take our calling to be champions for children seriously. Every child who enters the doors of our schools has unique strengths and talents. It is our job to provide each of them with the experiences needed to reach their unlimited potential.
We have two moral imperatives – to accelerate the learning of our students who have not reached proficiency, while also pushing our already proficient students to become globally competitive. Fulfilling that calling requires us to stand for all children.
Our district has made great strides this year: investing in a challenging reading and math curriculum so every K-12 student has access to advanced instructional materials; partnering with business and post-secondary institutions to transform our high schools; being thought leaders in the state and nation on issues of safety and school turn-around; identifying more students for gifted and talented programs; and increasing services for students with special needs and students whose home language is not English.
On Wednesday, Aug. 1, I will deliver the second annual FCPS State of the Schools Address to give our community a public report on the progress being made to ensure that all students achieve at high levels and graduate prepared to excel in college, career and life.
The event, presented by the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors, will be at the Lexington Convention Center Bluegrass Ballroom, at 430 W. Vine Street.
Registration and buffet breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m., with the formal program from 8:20 to 9:30 a.m.
All members of our community are invited to register to attend this important event by visiting www.fcps.net/StateofSchools18.
One of our district’s core values is that it takes an entire community to ensure the success of our public schools. Since moving to Lexington, I have been impressed with the incredible support of our school district from families, business partners, faith leaders, elected officials and the community-at-large.
This annual report is an important part of our commitment to transparency and accountability.
We hope you will join us to celebrate our success and commit ourselves to continued and deliberate action.
In the words of James Ryan, Harvard Education Dean and President-elect of the University of Virginia, “Regardless of where a child is born, who his parents are, the color of her skin, whether he can see or hear, or whether she sleeps in a mansion or a shelter: that child deserves a high-quality education.”