The Corbin Board of Education met on Dec. 11 for a special-called meeting to discuss an update on the district’s Portrait of a Learner initiative, recognize the retirement of Construction Consultant Jim Kennedy after 10 years of service, and hear comments from State Representative Nick Wilson.
Superintendent Travis Wilder and board members publicly thanked Kennedy for his dedication to overseeing district construction projects, highlighting the lasting impact his leadership will have on Corbin schools.
“He understands that the facilities make all the difference to the students,” said board member Kim Croley. “He often added things that we never would have thought of because of his expertise.”
Kennedy expressed his gratitude to the board for their recognition.
After the recognition, Sarah Watkins provided the board with an update on the district’s Portrait of a Learner initiative.
The Portrait of a Learner initiative seeks to gather community input to define student success and better prepare learners for life beyond school.
The district has hosted several community meetings to collect feedback and has distributed a QR code linking to the survey.
The district’s goal is to collect 2,500 survey responses. As of the Dec. 11 meeting, 1,700 responses had been received. Watkins encouraged board members and the public to share the survey to help reach the goal, noting Corbin has already achieved higher participation than any other district in the state.
A final community meeting will be held on Jan. 15 at 5:30 p.m. to finalize the initiative. The location is still to be determined, but will be either Corbin Middle School or Corbin High School, according to Watkins.
State Representative Nick Wilson also addressed the board, emphasizing his support for public education funding.
Wilson discussed recent legislation that ensures school districts are reimbursed for instructional services provided to students receiving short-term care at the Trillium Center.
“It actually passed unanimously,” said Wilson. “That was a great bill that was brought to me from someone in the school system.”
Wilson also highlighted budget efforts during the 2024 legislative session, noting that increased funding allowed districts in the region to provide teacher raises. He thanked Corbin for ensuring those funds reached classroom teachers.
The board went into executive session, but no action was taken.
