This from Lisa Deffendall at FCPS:

Superintendent Tom Shelton, who has led Fayette County Public Schools since 2011, announced Nov. 6 that he will be leaving to become the next executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents.

Tom Shelton“Although I did not enter into this decision lightly, I am very excited by the opportunity to work with other superintendents and impact educational improvement on a broader scale,” Shelton said. “In order for Kentucky to continue its progress in education, we must advocate at the state level for better funding of our classrooms throughout Kentucky.”

Shelton interviewed for and accepted the position Tuesday afternoon after a unanimous vote of the board of directors of the state’s largest professional association of school superintendents.  His last day with FCPS will be Dec. 31.

“While I will miss being a part of the team here in the Fayette County Public Schools, I am confident that our school district will maintain a focus on kids,” Shelton said. “We have talented and committed employees who truly care about all children. We have families who want to work side by side with us to educate all children. We have unparalleled community support and resources. We have a board of education that will go to the mat for students.”

Board Chairman John Price thanked Shelton for his service and expressed confidence that the district would rally to find a new leader to continue the mission of providing a world-class education for each and every student. “I believe every member of our school board team is committed to doing what is best for our students, employees, families and community,” Price said. “I want to assure everyone that our school board will work together to ensure that we continue to make progress and move forward to raise achievement for every student. This will not stop or slow down our commitment.”

Despite a change in leadership, the teaching and learning in classrooms and schools throughout the district will remain strong, Price said. “The most important work in Fayette County Public Schools takes place in the classroom under the leadership of our teachers, our principals and our IAKSS support team,” he said. “And all those committed employees will continue their efforts every day to do what’s best for kids.”

Price said the school board would have to meet to begin taking steps to find the next superintendent, and he hoped the board would move swiftly to ensure a strong pool of candidates. The board’s next scheduled meeting is this month’s regular planning meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday Nov. 10.