Contact: Lisa Deffendall • First Posted: Friday, August 15, 2008

Fayette County Board of Education Chairman Larry Conner, who has been on the school board since 2001, announced this afternoon that he has accepted a new job in Jonesboro, Georgia, and is resigning his position at the end of the month.

“Larry has been an outstanding board member who always put kids first,” said Fayette Superintendent Stu Silberman. “He provided strong leadership as the board chairman, advocating tirelessly for all kids. Under his guidance our board has helped move our school district and community forward. In addition to being an outstanding board member, Larry is a tremendous human being who wants what’s best for all people. He’s been a strong mentor and inspiration for me. Fayette County will miss Larry, but we wish him well.”

Conner will become the Chief Executive Human Resource Officer with the Clayton County Board of Education. Before retiring last year, Conner had served as Director of Human Resources for the Kentucky Department of Education and as Chief Operating Officer at the Kentucky School for the Blind-Kentucky School for the Deaf.

Appointed by the state commissioner of education to fill an unexpired school board term in District 1 in 2001, Conner was elected to a full four-year term in 2002 and re-elected for his second term in 2006. An ardent advocate for all kids, Conner is known for his commitment to issues of equity and passion for raising student achievement levels. He has been chairman of the board for the past two years and previously was vice chairman for nearly four years.

“It’s never a good time to leave, but I feel good about where we are as a board,” Conner said. “We are certainly more focused on having all kids achieve at high levels, we’ve come close to needs based funding, we have an excellent plan to address our facilities needs – we are really on track to becoming a world-class system both academically as well as with our facilities.”

“I just think we’re on track. I’m still concerned about achievement gaps; I’m concerned about our schools not making AYP. Certainly we need to ratchet up the pace,” he said. “I think we are focused now on academic achievement more than we ever have been.”

This spring, Conner received the Lauren K. Weinberg Humanitarian Award from the Kentucky Conference for Community and Justice. The humanitarian award goes to an individual or organization whose life or work affirms the mission of KCCJ to raise awareness and speak out for the just, fair and equal treatment of all people by promoting respect, understanding and acceptance through advocacy, education and empowerment.

Conner brought stability and accountability to the Fayette County Public Schools, serving in the past during difficult times, through leadership turnover, redistricting and budget cuts. Always a calming and reassuring presence, Conner brought consistency to the school board and continued to keep the focus on what’s right for kids. He was a supporter for the construction of the new Bryan Station High School and William Wells Brown Elementary School and was part of the team that hired current Superintendent Stu Silberman in 2004.

Married to Anna, Conner has three children, William, Alanna and Nicholas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in education, with an emphasis on counseling and additional graduate school credits, all from Eastern Kentucky University.

Prior to serving on the school board, Conner was on the school based decision making council and PTA at Bryan Station High School, volunteered as both a tutor and mentor for students at various schools, and worked at his children’s schools in a variety of capacities including track and field assistant, pit crew and academic boosters.

Conner’s last school board meeting will be August 25, and his resignation will be effective August 26.

Under Kentucky statute, the state commissioner of education will have 90 days to appoint someone to the open seat. The appointed school board member will serve for one year and the position will be up for election in the fall of 2009. Conner had advice for those who might be interested.

“First they need a lot of energy. They must be committed to kids. They must be a ‘collaborator’ – they need to try to reach consensus. Sometimes that takes time, but we need to be patient to find consensus that needs to benefit all of our kids, not just some of our kids,” Conner said. “That position is one of the most rewarding positions in public service. I’m glad that it’s almost non-paid, because people who run for school boards in Kentucky do that because, for the most part, they love kids. The person who takes my place would certainly have that same love.”