Keri Stevens is hitting the ground running.
As the new District 3 member of the Harlan County Board of Education, she has been securing the necessary training for holding the position and out meeting with district and school staff.
Her first scheduled board meeting isn’t until January 28th, the regular meeting of the board of education, but she is excited about her new position. She was elected in the November General Election to hold the seat vacated by Myra Mosley who did not seek reelection after serving 24 years.
Mosley was one of the longest serving board members in the Commonwealth.
Stevens said her first goal is to build strong relationships with fellow board members, district and school staff, parents and the community and students.
“As a parent, you want to not only see your child excel and flourish, but you want to help them and every other child meet and exceed goals they have established for themselves academically, in extracurricular or any other area,” she said.
Stevens has been reviewing district policies, state guidelines and a host of other documents that guide school boards in doing their jobs effectively.
She attended a conference in Louisville dedicated to newly elected board of education members from across the state. It is referred to as “boot camp” for new board members. Stevens, and all board members, are required to fulfill training requirements annually.
Superintendent Brent Roark said he is excited to have Stevens join the board, noting she not only brings financial skills to her role, but also the important role of parent. We have enjoyed getting to know her recently and believe she will bring a lot to the table, to our schools and our district. It is obvious she wants strong academics and extracurricular activities for our students. She also understands the importance of working for the betterment of the district as a whole.”
Roark said school boards will be challenged with funding reductions in the coming months. In Harlan County, the board will also be challenged with naming his replacement following the end of his contract this year.
Joshua Shoulta, director of communications for the Kentucky School Boards Association, said there were 119 new school board members elected this year across the state, with 356 incumbents kept their seats. “Just over half of board seats were up for election this time around,” he said.
A resident of Putney, Stevens’ district encompasses the northern part of the county and includes the entire voting precincts of Ages, Baxter, Bledsoe, Pine Mountain, Putney and Totz.
Furthermore, it includes the part of the Harlan precinct that is not within the Harlan Independent district and the easternmost section of the Loyall precinct. The district has a population of 5,169 and includes Green Hills Elementary, Rosspoint Elementary and Harlan County High School.
Stevens has been employed by the Harlan County Fiscal Court for seven years, and currently holds the title of Executive Administrative Assistant/Finance Officer.
She attended Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College and is an active member of Loyall First Pentecostal Church.
Stevens and her husband, Timothy, have two sons. Hunter is a freshman at Harlan County High School and Kash is a second-grade student at Rosspoint Elementary School.