Glen Murphy

Glen Murphy

The mission of the Cumberland County school district is “Success – Every Student, Everyday.” With the development of this mission statement came many changes to Cumberland County.

Cumberland County High School has developed a data room in which teachers meet and discuss each student’s progress by looking at a card with the student’s name and picture on it. This gives the teachers a name and face when discussing how to better help each individual child. They also are developing a career pathway for every student that enters Cumberland County High, as well as are making sure they get all students college- or career-ready. Each year the school offers – at a minimum – four dual credit classes to help seniors and some juniors earn college credit.

Cumberland County Middle School also has a data wall that is used for the same purpose as the one at the high school. For the upcoming year, the school’s teachers are in the process of developing a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) class for students. They also have an annual art/drama day where the school invites local artists to help showcase the talent of their students in these areas.

Cumberland County Elementary School was under the leadership of a new administrator in the 2013-14 school year. The school’s staff has been working on changing the culture of the school. They have done this with projects like local artists helping students paint murals in the school, teachers adopting a restroom and decorating it for the students, and students taking on various jobs within the building. They have been awarded a Leader in Me grant for the upcoming year and are very excited to get the program started.

The Cumberland County school district is a great place for students to attend and for faculty to work. However, we are like a lot of rural districts in Kentucky in that we continue to make cuts to various programs in order to balance the district’s budget. This causes some overcrowding in classes and loss of jobs, but it is what must be done while always trying to minimize the effects on students and their education.

Editors Note: This spring, Superintendent Glen Murphy announced that he will be retiring effective June 30 after 29 years in the school district. His replacement has not been announced.