McCreary County board hears new superintendent’s onboarding capstone and moves to adopt his evaluation

Dr. Taylor delivered an onboarding capstone presentation at a June 2 special meeting of the McCreary County Board of Education, laying out a vision “to create a high performing school district where every student is empowered to achieve at high levels” and listing goals for a districtwide communications plan, teacher mentorship and targeted instructional work.

In prepared remarks, Dr. Taylor thanked mentors, staff and family and described his leadership philosophy as collaborative rather than managerial. He told the board he would correct an incorrect mission posted on the district web page and pursue a communication and engagement plan to be completed by June 30, 2026. He also outlined work with KDE on an attendance pilot, revisions to the district’s virtual instruction program, purchases of high-quality instructional resources through KY25 grants, facility planning for an athletic complex and identified savings that will fund renovations to the high school auditorium and shop doors.

Mr. Scott Hawkins, introduced in the record as “director of coaching and mentoring,” praised Dr. Taylor’s judgment and steadiness, saying, “The most important decision that the board of education has to make is who they'll hire as a superintendent,” and that he had been “really impressed with Clint this year.” Dr. Kurt Biggerstaff (recorded as Dr. Biggerstaff) echoed that endorsement, calling Dr. Taylor “authentic and genuine” and saying he is “what McCreary County needs right now.”

Following remarks, the board voted to enter executive session citing KRS156.5576C and KRS61.8101K for preliminary discussions related to the superintendent’s evaluation. After returning to open session, the board announced per-standard ratings and an overall average score of 3.88 out of 4.0 (standards reported approximately: strategic leadership ~4.0; instructional leadership 3.88; cultural leadership 4.0; human resource leadership 4.0; operational leadership 3.6). A motion was made and seconded to adopt the superintendent’s evaluation.

The meeting record contains inconsistent first-name references for Dr. Taylor (he is referred to in the presentation as “Clint” and the later motion references “Lanny Taylor”); the board’s published minutes or personnel record should be consulted for the superintendent’s official full name. The meeting adjourned after the evaluation action.