The Prichard Committee Releases Report on Path Forward for Kentucky Education at Annual Meeting 

Oct. 31, 2025
Contact: Lisa McKinney, Communications Director, The Prichard Committee
(cell) 859-475-7202
lisa@prichardcommittee.org

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence released Onward and Upward: A Report of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence during its 2025 Business Meeting of Members on Oct. 30, calling for a renewed statewide commitment to partnership as the foundation of Kentucky’s next chapter in education reform.

The report captures the voices of more than 1,000 Kentuckians, including families, educators, employers and community leaders, engaged through the Committee’s Groundswell Initiative . Together, Kentuckians identified four urgent priorities to position Kentucky for growing improvement in education outcomes

• Stronger early childhood supports that prepare every child for school.
• Diplomas that guarantee readiness for college, career and civic life.
• A sustainable teacher pipeline that attracts, respects and retains talent.
• Trustworthy partnerships between schools, families and communities.

“Onward and Upward reflects what we’ve heard across the Commonwealth—Kentuckians are eager to lead,” said Brigitte Blom, President and CEO of the Prichard Committee. “They want to be at the table, helping drive innovations and solutions that support student success and a brighter future; they want a statewide structure that sets the expectation for measurable collaboration. Progress will endure when partnership is treated not as a program, but as infrastructure.”

The report details how partnership is already producing results. In forty schools across twenty districts participating in the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative, chronic absenteeism has dropped by as much as nine percentage points, and students are demonstrating measurable gains in math and reading proficiency. Families report renewed trust in their schools, and employers are co-designing student learning pathways that align with workforce needs.

Onward and Upward also addresses the rapid influence of artificial intelligence and automation on education and the workforce. It urges Kentucky to align academic mastery, durable skills and community partnerships so every learner can thrive in an AI-enabled economy.

The report outlines two coordinated tracks for progress:

• Local Communities Lead Now: Sustaining leadership tables, using shared tools, and reviewing progress transparently.
• The State Creates the Scaffold: Aligning supports, providing backbone functions, and ensuring that usable data and resources are accessible to communities.

“The desire from Kentuckians is unmistakable, and the proof is visible,” Blom said. “Meeting this moment will not only strengthen Kentucky’s schools but raise the floor of opportunity across every community .”

Read the full report here.

Election of Officers, Board, and New Members 

During the Business Meeting, the Prichard Committee’s members also elected officers, confirmed the 2025–26 Board of Directors and welcomed new nominees to the Committee.

Officers

Julia L. Roberts, Chair

Alfonso Cornish, Vice Chair

Leo Calderon, Secretary/Treasurer

Board of Directors
Jay K. Box (Scott County)
Leo Calderon (Kenton County)
Garren Colvin (Kenton County)
Al Cornish (Jefferson County)
Rajeev Darolia (Fayette County)
Rick Hulefeld (Kenton County)
Franklin Jelsma (Jefferson County)
Lonnie Lawson (Pulaski County)
Sandy Nott (Scott County)
Derrick Ramsey (Fayette County)
Julia L. Roberts (Warren County)
John Roush (Boyle County)
Julie Tennyson (McCracken County)
Gene Wilhoit (Anderson County)
Elaine Wilson (Pulaski County)
Gwendolyn Young (Fayette County)

New Members 
Kyle Aud (Daviess County)
Savannah Barrett (Jefferson County)
Rajeev Darolia (Fayette County)
Sheila Cruse Johnston (McCracken County)
Jo McKim (Jefferson County)
Allison Mefford (Warren County)
Angela Okuda (Boone County)
Angela Parsons-Woods (Rockcastle County)
Tom Poland (Boyle County)
John Roush (Boyle County)
Anna Shepherd (Floyd County)
Don Tharpe (Jessamine County)
George Wilson (McCracken County)

The Prichard Committee believes in the power and promise of public education –early childhood through college– to ensure Kentuckians’ economic and social well-being. We are a citizen-led, non-partisan, solutions-focused nonprofit, established in 1983 with a singular mission of realizing a path to a larger life for Kentuckians with education at the core.