The Boyle County Board of Education approved the evaluation of Superintendent Mike LaFavers during Thursday’s meeting at the Boyle County High School.

“We appreciate everything you do for the district. You make the decisions for the kids,” said Jennifer Newby, chair of the board, commending LaFavers on the direction the district is headed in.

LaFavers said the credit doesn’t belong to him.

“I get to work with great people … And the best kids in Kentucky, the best community,” LaFavers said. “It all starts with the board — you all make positive decisions for our entire community and I enjoy getting to work with you.”

The vote was unanimous.

The Board selected two standards by which to evaluate LaFavers: human resource leadership and collaborative leadership.

Human resource leadership is defined in the evaluation as “ensuring the district is a professional learning community with processes and systems in place that result in recruitment, induction, support, evaluation, development and retention of a highly effective diverse staff.”

The evaluation reads, “We as a board believe this does not mean simply filling the classroom with qualified teachers. We feel Mr. LaFavers brings an open communication style to the district, encouraging staff to bring concerns and ideas for improvement to him, then working to equip them with tools and resources to achieve their goals for personal and professional growth, which in turn fosters a sense of pride in their work and that of their peers.”

There are three examples given as ways he does this: continued partnerships with academic institutions, continued full support of the district’s one to one initiative to get devices into the hands of every student and continued focus on operating the district “in the most efficient and fiscally sound manner possible.”

Collaborative leadership is defined in the evaluation as “one who, in concert with the local board of education, designs structures and processes that result in broad community engagement with support for and ownership of the district vision. Acknowledging that strong schools build strong communities, the Superintendent proactively creates, with school and district staff, opportunities for parents, community members, government leaders and business representatives to participate with their investments of resources, assistance and goodwill.”

The evaluation said this is considered LaFaver’s “strongest area” by the board.

There are four examples given including: the successful hiring of an architect and fiscal agent for the middle school construction project; engaging all parties in that project and working with KDE to meet the requirements for the new building, including multiple trips to Frankfort; continued support and encouragement for Project Based Learning; and active participation in the local Rotary Club, leading to networking and other opportunities.

The board also established the three main goals set out by LaFavers for future years:

• enhancing student services, increasing the role of the family resource centers, improving mental health services for students and enhancing school safety, health and wellness;

• continuing to maximize technology resources while decreasing barriers to access; and

• working toward developing individual success plans for each student in grades seven through 12, incorporating college and career readiness or workforce development strategies while continuing to offer enrichment programs.

The evaluation said the board shares “overwhelming pride in the district’s accomplishments under Mr. LaFavers’ leadership.”

“Whether it is continued data mining to guide changes in curriculum, staffing and resources, purposefully highlighting student achievement through presentations at monthly board meetings or recognizing our District of Distinction award as an honor, yet also as a stepping stone toward further accompaniments, Superintendent LaFavers’ deliberate personal challenge to move from ‘idea-generator’ to facilitator has generated a sense of pride and community throughout the district,” the evaluation said.

On Friday, LaFavers said he appreciated “the board voicing confidence” in his team and himself.

“The key to our success in Boyle begins with our students and staff. We have a culture of high expectations that reflects the community we serve,” he said. “I feel fortunate to be a part of the good things going on in Boyle County.”