Kala Marshall, left, hugs Spencer County Middle School Principal Erin Demyan during the Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award presentation. Marshall is an instructional assistant for the middle school and a girls basketball coach for Spencer County High School. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, Feb. 27, 2026
(TAYLORSVILLE, KY) – Kala Marshall, an instructional assistant and girls basketball coach for Spencer County Public Schools, was surprised with the Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional (KESSP) Award during a ceremony at Spencer County Middle School on Feb. 27.
Marshall works in the mathematics department for Spencer County Middle School and has been a girls basketball coach at Spencer County High School for the past 20 years. Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher, school district officials and Marshall’s friends and family celebrated her achievement during the surprise ceremony.
“I am completely surprised to win this award, and I give all honor to God,” Marshall said. “I’m just so grateful for this. To family, my colleagues, the students, I’m grateful.”
School and district leaders highlighted Marshall’s positive attitude and her “unwavering commitment to both her students and her colleagues” in the nominating paperwork for the award.
“She has a way of breaking the math down so that students can understand the concepts,” Spencer County Middle School Teacher Daniel Cox said. “She has a servant’s heart and truly wants to help the students grow.”
Spencer County Middle School Principal Erin Demyan said no words are enough to describe the impact Marshall has on the students and community of Spencer County.
“She’s an exemplary role model who models integrity in everything that she does,” Demyan said. “Our students don’t just hear about that character from her, they see it. They see what it means to be respectful. They see what it means to be responsible. They see what it means to care for others, even when you’re fighting for something different for yourself.”
The KESSP award was created in 2020 by Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Coleman to recognize more than 46,000 classified school employees in Kentucky. Classified school employees serve in vital and often overlooked roles, from driving students to school to preparing their meals to working with partner agencies to ensure students’ vital needs are met.
Coleman said Marshall is a dedicated professional in the classroom and on the court.
“She is a dedicated coach who inspires her players not just through sports, but also by being a mentor and role model,” Coleman said. “She cares and supports the basketball players and challenges them every day – just as she cares and supports the students at Spencer Middle School and challenges them every day.”
Commissioner Fletcher said Marshall enhances the image of classified employees in the Spencer County community and ensures students receive the care and support they need.
“Ms. Marshall is someone who is not only dedicated and reliable, but someone who always shows up with a positive attitude and a deep sense of responsibility,” Fletcher said. “She always goes the extra mile to ensure students feel valued and cared for.”
Marshall is also active with her church, including mission trips, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
As a winner of the KESSP award, Marshall’s name was forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for consideration for the national Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award. She was one of 36 nominees for the award this year. Taylor County’s Vanessa Lyons was named one of the five finalists for the RISE award this year.
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