Boyle County’s ‘office’

Three leaders work behind the scenes for the school district

 

By JACK LITTLE

Boyle County High School

Everyone knows the hit comedy “The Office,” but many do not know about the more serious office in the Boyle County School System where three men make crucial decisions that impact lives every day. 

This office is none other than the Central Office of Boyle County Schools. The decision-makers who serve vital roles within it are Superintendent Mike LaFavers and assistant superintendents David Young and Chris Holderman.

These men work behind the scenes while receiving very little recognition for the amount of work each of them do to make Boyle County such a fantastic school district. 

LaFavers carries the responsibility of Superintendent, a challenge that most people would not accept. “I usually get an early start, between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning, and finish up at 4:30, but often later” said LaFavers.

All of his days are packed with meetings and visits. “During the day, I do a variety of things. I go around and visit the schools (Perryville, Junction City, and Woodlawn Elementaries, Boyle County Middle, and Boyle High) and I meet with the principals and teachers from each of them,” shared LaFavers.

After a long day of work where he leads the district through important decisions in everything from food services to preschool to the general welfare of students and hundreds of employees, he never truly gets to leave his job. “Even when I go home, I eat dinner and then answer a few more phone calls from anyone who needs me.”

Like anyone else, he also needs an escape from his extremely stressful role. “I love being with my family. My wife (Jerri) and I have three kids (Molly, Madelyn, and Will) and I always enjoy being with them, but I have also picked up a new hobby, mountain biking. 

“I typically head out on Saturdays to trails like Capitol View Park in Frankfort or ‘The Skullbuster’ in Georgetown.” LaFavers continues, “I can’t do any drops, hops or jumps, but I do really enjoy the nature and the peacefulness of a ride.” 

Likewise, David Young finds himself with a full schedule. “My job is basically to oversee instruction and the teaching and learning departments. I help to create the learning targets that teachers use in the classrooms and implement the ‘common core’ standards. I also observe teachers at all the schools,” explained Young.

One of the highlights of Young’s day is getting to meet with other members of the office. “I work in a team of three people with Stephanie Wade (Technology Integration Specialist), Susan Taylor (District Technology Director), and Jenna Blair (Coordinator of Elementary Academic Achievement and Preschool Director),” Young said. “I absolutely love my job because of the wonderful people I get to work with and knowing that I get to help kids on a day to day basis.”

The best part of his day, as for anyone, is when he gets to be with the people that matter the most.

“When I go home, I love to be with my family. I have triplets in the eighth grade and I love spending time with them and my wife (Holly). We are very involved in school sports and activities, so we make the most of the free time we all have together.”

The time he gets to spend with his triplets is precious to him.

“My sons (Connor and Mason) play basketball, so that is something we enjoy together. My daughter, Emma, plays volleyball and we watch that on television, as well. Connor has recently taken up hunting and we do that together, too. I just love to spend time with them.” 

Another man accepting the challenge of running a section of the school district is Chris Holderman.

“I basically oversee everything except for teaching and learning,” Holderman said. “I do a lot of stuff with school safety which has taken up more of my time in recent years. This includes a lot of lockdown preparation. I also work as a truancy officer for the school.”

Holderman’s job does not stop there. He oversees school health and maintenance as well as transportation for all students. 

“Transportation is a very integral part of the school and I put a lot of time into working with the bus drivers and figuring out the routes they run, as well as making sure everything is in line in the garage,” said Holderman.

“I am also the guy who calls off school in the morning for snow. I typically leave my house at 3:30 a.m. to make that decision. This job never seems like a burden on me, though — more like a part of me. I know that all of the things that I do help kids, and that is what I love to do.”

Even with his monstrosity of a workload, he is able to find opportunities to be with the ones he loves.

“When I am away from school, I love being with my family. My wife (Staci) and my three boys (Isaac, Nicholas, and Caleb) all love going to the lake and being together as a family,” Holderman said. “We are also very active in our church. My sons and I play in the band together. Caleb plays the bass and Isaac plays the drums, while I play the guitar. I also do outdoorsman type stuff and gardening, which is very relaxing and peaceful.”

All three men have sacrificed countless hours that have made a great impact on this community through the school system.

Unlike Michael, Dwight, and Jim from “The Office”, these gentlemen in the Central Office are the perfect team for this school district, as they always give their best to serve the outstanding students of Boyle County Schools.