Officers were appointed, 2026 meeting dates and times were set, students and staff members were recognized, and updates were given on the new middle school during the January school board last Thursday.
The board voted to reappoint Terry Harvey as board chairman and Destiny Greer as vice chair for 2026.
The board voted to continue holding meetings on the third Thursday of each month but change the start time to 5 p.m. The only exception will be the March meeting, which will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Superintendent Jason Faulkner recognized several students during his superintendent’s report for their accomplishments.
Kaleigh Foster, choir sponsor, spoke about their accomplishments for the year.
“We have had a lot of students to make a lot of accomplishments this year. First off, I think we had 14 make SKMA, that’s our version of regional, like all state in choir,” said Foster.
Faulkner presented certificates to 16 students who made SKMA choir.
Briana Hillock was recognized for her performance in cross country this past season. She placed sixth out of 223 cross country members at the state meet. She also was named first team all-state and 2A all-region.
The December ASCEND Award winners, which recognized individuals with a positive attitude, were Joanna Williams for elementary schools, Mary Ellen Purcell for secondary schools, and Derrick “Trix” Lynn for the district.
Director of Pupil Personnel, Robbie Harmon presented the attendance award to Jordan Williams for Adair County Elementary School for the third month in a row.
Carolee Lloyd, director of human resources, demonstrated a new streamlined application process for prospective employees. The Adair County Schools website (adair.ky.schools.us) now lists all vacancies, and anyone interested can apply directly through the online link. Employees can also request substitute teachers, find answers to insurance questions, and other resources.
“I think it will help us better serve every employee in the district,” said Lloyd. “What I am excited about is that this is the same platform that Taylor, Russell, surrounding counties use.”
“So now when you have a new teacher who wants to look for a job, once they get on there and register with their application on file, they can click, click, click and apply to every county and we are one of them,” she said.
Faulkner presented the board with three bids for furniture for the new middle school.
He said he showed the three proposals to faculty, staff and students for their opinions and recommended that the board partner with ID&A from Louisville.
“If y’all approve this tonight, they will sit down with me next week and start selecting finishes, patterns, everything,” said Faulkner. “They’ve got four interior designers that they are going to put on this job and the lady told me today that if this is the direction we go, she promises me that will be a showpiece when it’s finished.”
The total cost will be $788,000, which was not budgeted in the building and grounds fund for the new school.
Fortunately, money was placed in a high interest-bearing account and has drawn $1.5 million. The furniture has a 15-year warranty with a modern look.
Steven Osborne, project manager with Codell Construction, gave an update on the progression of the new middle school. Ceilings have been placed, the kitchen equipment is ready to set, and the ceramic tile is being placed throughout the building. Every HVAC unit in the building is ready to turn on. The gym interior is complete, and block work is being done.
Anthony Darnell, the new director of transportation and maintenance, presented his first official update to the board. Darnell replaces Steve Burton who retired in December.
He has been working on new banners, signs on the vehicles, and replacing worn geothermal fittings. One of the units at the current middle school stopped working but Darnell was able to remedy the situation to last through the remainder of the school year.
The board went into executive session per KRS 158.150 for suspension or expulsion of pupils.
By Amy Pike
amy@adairvoice.com
