Beginning July 1, 2012, Charlotte Bernard will begin a new career while at the same time being a part of history within the Clinton County School System.

Bernard, at age 42, will become only the second female Superintendent of Schools after being chosen from among several applicants earlier this month by a majority of Clinton County Board of Education members.

Prior to assuming the duties as the highest ranking education leader in the county, she will be making the transition from her current position as Director of Pupil Personnel and until early last week, had served almost five and-a-half years as a member of the fiscal court, having been elected magistrate of the fifth district in both 2006 and 2010.

The new superintendent feels she is ready to lead the school district and that her past positions, both as an administrator and in the classroom in the schools, as well as being an elected official on the county’s governing body, will only be assets she will carry into the job as superintendent this summer.

During an interview with the Clinton County News last week, Bernard touched on her past duties as magistrate, current duties as Director of Pupil Personnel and the direction she hopes to see the school district move in her first two-year tenure.

The new superintendent said she felt her years on the fiscal court was an asset when it came to realizing the handling of finances and was proud that the county, despite the weakening economy of the past few years, has been able to maintain its balanced budget. She also noted one of the biggest accomplishments during her tenure on the court for the county as a whole was the implementation of the Emergency 911 system and county mapping.

Speaking of the county government, she noted Clinton County has made it through the past decade with a balanced budget without having to raise taxes. She also added that sometime in the future, to maintain the services the residents deserve without cuts, some type of tax hike, or possibly the ambulance service becoming a taxing district may become necessary.

“Working with the (fiscal) court taught me to work with a group of people and make decisions that impact people and families,” said Bernard. She also likened the judge/executive relationship to the fiscal court to that of a superintendent and a board of education.

“I learned fiscal management while on the court,” she added, saying the court decides where to spend money for the greatest good and hopes to continue that role in the school district as superintendent.

Bernard said the thing she would miss most about being a magistrate is working to help families with their problems. However, she said now she would be working with families on a broader scale in her new position.

The superintendent-to-be said that her decision to seek the position as schools’ chief was varied, but primarily a next step in her career in education and the fact she was a mother of three children and was vested in the educational process. She also said she feels she has strong communication skills and has been in contact with several different local and state officials at all levels, which would be another asset.

Bernard has been employed in the Clinton County School District for 19 years, the first 12 in the classroom from grades pre-school through 8th grade and those years in the classroom is a major factor in why she believes she will be a good fit as superintendent of schools.

“I feel I have something to offer to teachers from being in the classroom for several years…I realize the task they have and I want to help make their jobs easier and supply them with the tools necessary to make it easier for them to teach their students.”

As far as being the first woman in the superintendent’s seat in a full century and the first in modern time, she doesn’t feel that will make any difference. In fact, she said, “as a woman I have motherly instincts and that may enhance my ability to do the job better and have the most effective impact.”

Bernard also praised outgoing Superintendent Mickey McFall for his leadership over the past decade, noting he had kept the district in the black financially and always worked within the budget, despite recent cuts in funding.

“You have to set a budget and work within your means,” Bernard said. She also noted that with the decrease in SEEK funding, it is more important now than ever to maintain a high attendance rate, since the amount of those funds depend largely on the percent of average daily attendance–something she has done for the past several months as DPP for the district.

Bernard said she sees no major changes in the way the office of superintendent is operated or in policy, although there are policy changes and adjustments that become necessary at times.

The new superintendent also said she looked forward to having a close working relationship with faculty and staff at all levels.

Bernard earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Lindsey Wilson College with an emphasis on math in 1992; attended Western Kentucky University with an emphasis on elementary education in 2000; and earned her Master of Arts from Eastern Kentucky University in 2004 and Professional Certificates from the same school in School Superintendent, Supervisor of Instruction and Director of Pupil Personnel as well as Principal K-12 in 2011.

Bernard has also been coordinator of Home Hospital; Home School; Safe Schools/Healthy Students Project Director; Family Literacy Coordinator; Reading First District Coach; and, Even Start Grant Director.

In her interview with the board of education before her hiring, she stated, “I think a successful leader must set a vision for the district, establish goals on how to accomplish the vision and empower administrators, teachers, and staff with tools and the support necessary to succeed.”

As far as a superintendent’s direct duties, she said it was the “chief education advisor to the (school) board, and must carry out all policies established by the board, operating within the laws governing education to provide oversight and management of all school operations and of all school personnel.”

Insofar as the board of education, she feels the board represents the community, governing the schools and serving as an advocate for students, in addition to setting policy for the schools and monitoring and evaluating achievement of the schools.

“Together, the board and superintendent must work as a team moving toward one common goal–educating students. It is critical that a board and superintendent send a message to the community that the leadership is strong, capable, fair, open and committed; this will create a feeling of confidence among the district staff and parents,” she said.

Bernard further believes the superintendent must set a clear direction for instruction that everyone understands and use their leadership and motivation to communicate the goals to school leaders, teachers and staff.

Finally, the new schools’ chief believes morale is a major contributor to a district’s success, saying “as much as any single factor, low staff morale can lead to a decline in productivity of employees, and high staff morale can lead to higher effort and productivity. I think an effective superintendent must be very aware of the climate and morale throughout the school district and continuously work to make the schools more welcoming, inspiring, nurturing and satisfying for the teachers, staff, students, and parents.”

Bernard, a life-long resident of Clinton County, has two teenage sons, Ellis, 18, Evan, 17 and a daughter, 13-year-old Addison.

(Footnote: According to local historian and Attorney David Cross, the first, and up to now, only female superintendent in the Clinton County Schools was Ermon Sloan, who later became Ermon Sloan Koger.

She was actually elected to the position in 1909–a time when women didn’t even yet have the right to vote, except in school elections. Also, at that juncture in history, school superintendents in Kentucky were elected. They began being appointed by the Boards of Education in 1920.

Sloan served only one term as superintendent, having been defeated for re-election four years later. She married Dr. Robert Koger and they moved to Norwich, Kansas, where Dr. Koger practiced medicine for several years.

Koger is related to the Sloan families that reside in Clinton County to this day.)