Teresa Morgan, superintendent of Hardin County Schools, was named Superintendent of the Year by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA). She received the award at KASA’s annual leadership institute in Louisville on Friday.
For more than 30 years KASA has joined with its partner at the national level, the American Association of School Administrators, to select the Kentucky Superintendent of the Year. Kentucky’s representative is then considered by a blue-ribbon panel of national education and business leaders as a candidate for the National Superintendent of the Year award.
The Superintendent of the Year Award recognizes and honors Kentucky’s superintendents for the contributions they make every day advocating for public education, our children, and our future. Those who are nominated are judged by four criteria: leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.
“I humbly accept this award in honor of our more than 14,000 students and 2,700 staff members,” Morgan said. “Our HCS family is truly dedicated to the betterment of students and helping them succeed at every level. Our students and families work hard to ensure success. I’m honored to be a part of such a fantastic district in such a fantastic community.”
“The Superintendent of the Year award is an incredible honor bestowed upon one Kentucky superintendent annually,” said KASA Executive Director Rhonda Caldwell. “It truly captures the heart of what makes so many of our superintendents the exact leader their community needs. We are thrilled the panel, working through a diligent process of evaluation, selected Terrie as the representative on the national level for 2024.”
In a letter of support for Morgan’s receipt of the award, the author noted that “if there is a service project or community outreach program that needs support, she is the first person to put on work boots and get to work.
“The Grow Your Own programs provide educational opportunities for classified staff for advancement and has worked to help high school students enter the field of education. This program pays for one-third of an education course for graduates who want to become teachers and will come back to work for the district after graduating college.”
“We are very thankful to have Terrie as our superintendent,” Hardin County Board of Education Chair Dawn Johnson said. “Words can’t describe how proud we are of her every day, but especially today. Earning the Kentucky Association of School Administrators Superintendent of the Year Award cements her legacy in Hardin County and across the state. This confirms what we already know – Terrie Morgan is the best of the best.”
KASA’s Leadership Awards Program is offered in partnership with American Fidelity Assurance Company. American Fidelity has provided funds in Mrs. Morgan’s name that will supply one Hardin County Schools senior (Class of 2024) with a $5,000 scholarship.
KASA is the largest school administrator group in Kentucky, representing more than 3,300 education leaders from across the commonwealth. Formed in 1969, KASA connects education leaders to policymakers, legislators and other interest groups and provides numerous benefits and services to Kentucky’s school administrators.
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
