The Union County Board of Education reviewed the district’s progress with Superintendent Patricia Sheffer during a special called meeting on Friday, June 14. Sheffer’s Capstone project, which is a culmination of the Board’s first full year of working with Sheffer as the district’s superintendent, was presented at the meeting along with recognition of the Board’s achievement of Level 2 from Kentucky Center for Performance Excellence.The Capstone project included a list of goals for the first year along with a strategic plan of deployment with a timeline and task checklist. A review of the project along with evidence of implementation showed steady progress to competent performance in all areas. Dr. Fred Carter, the executive coach for new superintendents in Kentucky, was also in attendance for the Capstone presentation at the Board meeting. Carter felt that the Capstone was “excellent” and that the progress in Union County has been great. He complimented the Board on their commitment to excellence and said Union County is a “wonderful district” with a “very talented and caring leader” with Sheffer at the helm. Part of the Capstone plan was to continuously improve district processes using the Baldrige performance excellence model. (CLICK HERE to view full version of Capstone project.)
The Board was recognized as achieving the Level 2 “Commitment” status from the Kentucky Center for Performance Excellence (KYCPE). Sponsored by KYCPE, the program utilizes Baldrige Performance Excellence criteria to provide organizations with the framework, feedback, and support to implement a management system focused on continuous improvement.
Union County Public Schools began the journey to excellence three years ago when the Union County Board of Education voted to be the first school district in Kentucky to be a part of this performance excellence program. At that time, the Board expressed an interest in the performance excellence program, knowing that it was a process of continuous improvement instead of an awards program. “Our slogan, Passion for Excellence, becomes nothing more than words without a commitment to excellence,” said Board member Jim Ricketts. “By embracing the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and using it as a guide, we are making the necessary commitment to work and strive for excellence in all areas.”
“When we hired Patricia Sheffer as superintendent for our district, we were excited about what this meant for our overall organization,” said Board Chairperson Jennifer Buckman. “She was already familiar with the Baldrige process and we knew we would have the right kind of leadership to benefit our primary customers--our students.”
Over the last year, the UCPS school district implemented a number of processes to improve quality for every department. With the focus shifted to customer service and continuous improvement in every area, the organization steadily moved forward from Level 1 to Level 2 in the Baldrige criteria.
“One of the best parts of this program is the feedback we receive that gives us Opportunities for Improvement (OFI),” said Sheffer. “We eagerly anticipate this feedback because we know we will use it to make immediate improvement for our students’ benefit. It is definitely not an awards program, but a process that allows us to improve every day.”