Silberman honored to have reached Final Four

Contact: Lisa Deffendall • First Posted: Friday, February 20, 2009

Beverly Hall, superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, has been named the 2009 National Superintendent of the Year.

The American Association of School Administrators announced the award winner Feb. 20 during the National Conference on Education in San Francisco.

Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman, whose “It’s About Kids” mantra has become a guiding principle for Lexington educators, was one of the four finalists.

“I want to congratulate Beverly because I believe she will represent school districts and superintendents across our country very well,” Silberman said. “It’s been an honor to be a part of the final four. It speaks volumes about the work that’s happening in our school district. Recognitions like this just don’t happen in school districts that are not performing at high levels.”

Silberman gave credit for the success in FCPS to district employees, students, parents and community, civic and business leaders.

“Going through the selection process gave me the opportunity to look back over the last five years and allowed me to really see the great work that is taking place in our district,” Silberman said. “Sometimes you get moving so fast that you don’t have a chance to stop and appreciate the progress that’s been made. This has allowed for a little bit of that reflection time, and it makes me very proud to be working with the folks I have the honor of working alongside every day.”

Since he was hired in 2004, Silberman has been credited with engaging the public, drawing more than 1,300 people to a summit on how to ensure that every student in Fayette County receives a world-class education. He has rebuilt faith with the community, instituting a 24-hour response time rule for phone calls and e-mails, and launching dozens of communications initiatives to ensure transparency and openness.

Student achievement has skyrocketed, with nearly 40 percent of local schools besting state proficiency standards six years early, and the district has a clear focus on closing achievement gaps and holding all students to high expectations.

School board meetings, which five years ago often lasted well past midnight, are now civil and productive with a focus on student achievement strategies. In an unprecedented show of public confidence, a school board vote to raise property taxes in order to address facility needs received no organized opposition and was affirmed without a voter recall effort.

Being in the final four nationally is the latest accolade for Silberman, who is also a recipient of both the AASA Leadership for Learning Award and a Tech Savvy Superintendent Award from E-School News. He was selected as Kentucky’s Superintendent of the Year twice by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators and once by the Kentucky School Boards Association. He also has received the Kentucky School Boards Association Kids First Award, and his districts have received the NSBA Magna Award, the National What Parents Want Award, the Kentucky PEAK award, and a Gold Medallion from NSPRA.