An acting superintendent for the Clinton County Schools District, Boyd Randolph, is now in place following action taken last week at a special called meeting of the Clinton County School Board.
The board met Thursday afternoon, June 15, with all board members on hand, but in the absence of Superintendent Dr. Paula Little, due to both agenda items dealing with her current position as schools chief.
The extremely brief special session had two items of business on the agenda, including retaining the acting superintendent, with both motions passing unanimously.
The first item dealt with a critical need area within the district, with board member Bobbie Stone making a motion “to authorize declaration and certification of a critical storage area, pursuant to applicable law and regulation, with respect to qualified and available candidates for the acting superintendent position.”
Board member Jeremy Fryman then moved to approve Randolph as acting superintendent at a salary of $11,404.25 per month, plus all requisite retirement contributions and customary benefits, for a term consistent with applicable law.
That monthly base salary amount is equivalent to an annual base salary of $136,851.
Randolph, who was interviewed by the school board a few weeks ago for the interim position, will take over the duties of Superintendent Little on July 1.
Superintendent Little, who has been in the school district for three and-a-half decades but only as superintendent for a short time, announced her retirement earlier this spring, effective June 30.
Randolph is reportedly a highly recommended educator, has received positive feedback from KSBA (Kentucky School Boards Association) officials, and has served as interim superintendent in other districts during his career.
Randolph brings years of experience in various aspects of education to the interim position.
He received his superintendent certification from Eastern Kentucky University in 2006 and prior K-12 Principal Certification (Rank I) from EKU and Master’s Degree (Rank II), both at Eastern in 1999 and 1987, respectively and earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Morehead State in 1981.
His employment history  ranges from secondary teacher through superintendent, most recently serving as assistant superintendent  in Marion County. Randolph was also Superintendent of Somerset Independent Schools from July 2011 through June of 2015.
He has served as a member of the Facilitator-District Facility Plan for the KSBA and worked with the Kentucky Department of Education Office of Leadership and School Improvement.
Randolph, of Somerset, listed his mission as “to improve the lives of others and the professional environment through the application of my skills, experiences, and resources available to me that will enable others to have social, moral, and economic impact on their communities.”
Just of few of his many key accomplishments include that, while a consultant/trainer for the KSBA, he trained all levels of district and school administrators on an extensive range of content; and provided targeted assistance to districts with unique challenges.
As a Highly Skilled Educator/Education Recovery Leader for the KDE, he assisted school and district leadership to institute a number of instructional practices to strengthen efficacy in the various schools served. This included, among others, individual and classroom analysis of student performance.
Among the strengths he offers in skill and knowledge include experience in curriculum, instruction, and assessment; policy making; use of expenditure prioritizing that aligns with district operations used in conjunction with the budgeting process; District Facility Plan development; coaching and mentoring of school and district administrators; and an extensive knowledge of comprehensive planning.
Meanwhile, Clinton County Board of Education Chairwoman Leslie Stockton issued the following statement to school personnel and others via social media pertaining to Randolph’s employment:
“The Clinton County Board of Education would like to announce that Mr. Boyd Randolph of Somerset has been appointed as the Acting (Interim) Superintendent of the Clinton County School District effective July 1, 2023.
“We have conducted rigorous interviews and reference checks with all of his previous school board appointments, and I have attached his resume for your reference. He specializes in academic recovery, leadership development, student performance, staff development, financial management, and facility construction/renovation. We believe that he will provide a solid foundation of leadership as we begin our search for our next permanent Superintendent. Please note that Mr. Randolph will be reaching out to many of you in the coming days to schedule meetings with you individually. The board is also partnering with the KSBA (Kentucky School Boards Association) to help facilitate the search for the next permanent Superintendent; the Search Committee has been created per applicable laws and guidelines, and that process will begin in the coming months.
“Thank you for all that you do on behalf of our students and we hope you have a great summer.
“Warm regards, Leslie Stockton.”
The board will continue the process of securing a permanent superintendent, working with Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA’s) Facilitator Tim Eaton.
Anyone with proper superintendent certification rank is eligible to apply for the full-time position, including the current interim.
The search process may take a few months to complete, with the board of education eventually making the final decision on which applicant is hired to permanently fill the position.
(The school board held its regular meeting Monday night of this week and a separate article on that meeting can be found beginning on page 1.)