Dr. Kevin Hub became only the seventh superintendent in 72 years of the Logan County Superintendent of the Logan County School District on July 1. He is succeeding Marshall Kemp, an award-winning superintendent who served the second longest among Hub’s six predecessors. (The late Robert Piper’s 33-year record tenure is unlikely to be threatened by anyone.)
Hub is a people person who enjoys mingling with teachers, students and the community. He is also very public relations conscious. He keeps the media notified of plans involving his office, and invited the press to the opening session of school for administrators, faculty and staff and to accompany him as he visited each of the six schools in the district on the opening day of school last Wednesday.
In his opening remarks to those employed by Logan County Schools, he noted 3,418 young people were expected to join them two days later in the schools. He talked about these accomplishments by Logan County Schools that were in place upon his arrival:
*22nd ranked school system in the state
*Two national Blue Ribbon Schools
*Four Kentucky Middle Schools to Watch
*LCHS with “outstanding record” of getting students College & Career Ready
*Best attendance rate as a school system in five years
He also complimented bus drivers and transportation staff who have 57 buses traveling 3,100 miles daily, cooks and food service staff, maintenance and custodians, technology staff, and secretaries, bookkeepers, attendance clerks and support staff.
The following are remarks made by Dr. Hub, according to his notes:
OUR community expects that WE will provide a world-class education for their children, delivered by the best teachers, & supported through caring & effective leadership.
When it comes to helping students graduate ready for college & career, nothing at school matters more than the quality of OUR teachers, principals & support staff.
I hope WE can ALL agree that there is no work more rewarding than helping to make the lives of children better.
It pleases me so much to be part of such a student-centered culture of excellence.
Now, let me share what YOU can expect from me as YOUR superintendent.
My personal vision is to have the greatest impact possible on the growth and development US ALL by adding value and influence to THIS extraordinary organization.
Essentially, my vision is about the growth and development of EACH & EVERY ONE OF US, with a focus on leadership.
Why leadership? LEADERSHIP MATTERS…
for the future of OUR Students;
for the success of OUR Staff;
for the growth of OUR Community.
STUDENTS – I look forward to meeting with
The Rambassadors at Olmstead
The Change the World group at Chandlers
The Student Lighthouse Team at Lewisburg
The Cardinal Ambassadors at Adairville
The Student Council at Auburn
The Student Ambassadors at Logan County HS
Our students are our customers and it only makes sense to ask them what WE are doing well and what WE can do to improve.
STAFF – I’m so excited to start a “Grow Your Own” cadre. GYO is a voluntary leadership opportunity open to ALL staff. We will meet for 90 minutes once a month beginning in September. The sessions will provide information on what’s happening in OUR schools in that month, and will also include a leadership development component. This year we will focus on Dr. John Maxwell’s 21 Laws of Leadership.The sessions will be dynamic and engaging, and organized in such a way to make everyone feel welcome. NO preparation or experience required.
COMMUNITY – I’ve been challenged by the Board to create and expand community partnerships and to increase the communication from our district to the community. During my first week, we were pleased to announce a partnership with the Carpenter Fitness Center. YOU have sent numerous messages sharing how helpful it was to get a discount for something you were already doing. In my second week, we received a check from the Carpenter Foundation in the amount of $100K for technology upgrades in several of our schools. Last week we celebrated a successful fund raising campaign by the LCHS Cougar Foundation resulting in new weight training equipment for our male and female student-athletes.
And finally, I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Champion Pet Foods Kentucky Kitchen in Auburn. They will be fully operational in January 2016, and provide more than 100 well-paying jobs to the community. YOU deserve lots of credit for helping to attract their business, and the more than $80 million they’ll spend building their plant. If WE keep graduating students who are college and career ready, there is unlimited potential for growth in Logan County.
I’m often asked if I miss the classroom…”Yes, I miss the classroom, but I’m still a teacher and will always think like a teacher.” And like all great teachers, I understand that WE must address the individual needs of ALL OF OUR students, regardless of the obstacles they face. As YOUR superintendent, I will embrace a collaborative approach to decision-making. Trust is built when decision-making includes honest & open dialogue with those who may be impacted by the decision. Trust ends when decisions are made without gathering or valuing input of others.
Kevin Plank, CEO of UnderArmour, puts it this way, “Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.”
I will ask lots of questions, but more importantly, I will LISTEN to YOUR answers. I won’t shy away from tough situations, and I will consider the impact on children before making a decision.
WE ALL make a difference each and every day. We have within us the ability to create our future. When we work together as a team, we can accomplish great things for our students, our schools and the communities of Logan County.