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October 15, 2024
To the Oldham County School Community:
On July 1 of 2021, I began my role as Superintendent of Oldham County Schools. I was very
honored that the Board of Education members asked me to serve in this role and lead this great
school district. It has been the highlight of my 27-year career in public education to serve as
Oldham County Schools' Superintendent.
When I started my tenure, we were faced with many challenges: dealing with the pandemic,
staff turnover and retention, a dire need for salary increases, and recognizing the impact of
these issues on our students. We all face challenges in our professional and personal lives. In
my heart, I have always believed one of the most important things in life is how we respond to
these challenges. That response makes all the difference in setting the tone with those whom
we serve and lead. Our students are watching how we respond to adversity and how we treat
others. I am proud of our district and our community for how we have worked together to
respond to the very difficult obstacles we have experienced in Oldham County and across the
country in the last few years. I truly believe that it is not about one of us, but about all of us.
We have accomplished a lot together in just four short years. Some of our accomplishments
include:
-
Student learning has steadily improved when we look at results from state testing, ACT,
and other measures -
Implementing the "Passion to a Pathway" initiative to identify a student's passion and
connecting that passion to a pathway that will help students thrive -
Opening innovation labs at our middle schools that can foster authentic learning for our
students -
Giving a 12% salary increase and eight million dollars in one-time stipends for our
employees since the 2021-2022 school year -
Embracing a service excellence mindset by our district leaders to serve our schools and
ultimately our students -
Creating and implementing a strategic plan for our school district
-
Rebranding of our school district and our schools that includes a new district logo and
visual assets for each school that together elevates the entire school district -
Transforming of our athletic facilities to better enhance our student athletes and
community experience -
Creating a district facility plan that will further support academics, arts, and athletics
-
Being one of the first public school districts to approve paid leave for recovery from
birth in the state of Kentucky and later expanding this leave for paternity and adoptive
parents -
Increasing employee engagement by conducting annual meetings with school staff and
departments. Last year we met with all 1500 full-time employees about our proposed
actions to further elevate our school district. -
Created a bi-annual publication highlighting our entire school district that is sent to
every home and business in Oldham County.
These are just to name a few. None of these accomplishments would have been possible
without the support from our Board of Education.
I am announcing today that this will be my last year as Superintendent for Oldham County
Schools. I will not be asking the Board to renew my contract which is set to expire June 30,
2025. By the end of this school year I will have completed my 27th year in public education. I
have given careful thought to this decision over the last few months and discussed with our
Board of Education. I feel it is time for me to turn the page to the next chapter.
This has been a very difficult decision because, like all of you, I truly love our district, our
students, our staff, and our community. I can honestly say that I have put my heart and soul
into our school district. When I began as Superintendent, our teachers and staff all indicated to
me their desire to be valued and treated like professionals. My hope is that our employees and
community can see the progress we have made... together, in these areas.
I am making this announcement now to give the Board of Education ample time to find a
replacement. We still have much work to do for our students and I have made a commitment to
our Board members that I will finish this school year strong because that is what our students
deserve. Our school district is positioned well for the future and poised to thrive as we continue
to think about engaging, empowering, and elevating the experiences for everyone that makes
Oldham County Schools a destination district. Through careful planning and board action we
are on very solid ground financially as a school district. We will be providing a financial report in
our next publication scheduled for December. We have a roadmap for success (strategic plan)
being implemented that will guide the district's work and actions over the next several
years. We still have much more to do and we will continue to work hard over the next 8 months
to serve you, our students, our school district and our community.
Sincerely,
Jason Radford, Superintendent
District News & Announcements
On November 21, the OCS ECS Department is sponsoring a parent workshop for high school families of students with an IEP or 504.
November 21, 2024
6:00 - 8:00
Congratulations to Camden Station 4th grade teacher, Joni Jensen, winner of the October OCS Experience Excellence Award!
On December 12, the OCS ECS Department is sponsoring a parent workshop for families of students with IEP's.
Congratulations to Oldham County Preschool office manager, Jeannine Konesko, winner of the Oldham County Schools Experience Excellence Award!
A new district award, "Ignite Passion," was unveiled at the September OCBE meeting. At each monthly board meeting, these district awards will be included in recognitions.
On October 3, Oldham County Schools Department of Exceptional Children Services will be hosting a parent workshop for families with students who have IEPs or 504s.
Upcoming Events
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