LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) – Area residents will have the opportunity to hear from state policy influencers on education during the first-ever State of the Classroom Forum from 5:30 – 8 p.m. on April 19 at Frederick Douglass High School.
Opening remarks will be made by Jonathan Miller, former Secretary for the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet and education reform advocate. A panel discussion and community roundtables will initiate reflection and conversations on current issues and potential changes needed. The panel will be facilitated by Brigitte Blom Ramsey, executive director of the Pritchard Committee, along with Sharon Lee, a current student from FDHS. Panelists will include:
State Representative John "Bam" Carney (R) House District 51
Rep. Carney serves as the House Education Committee Chair and is a teacher in his home district.
State Representative Kelly Flood (D) House District 75
Rep. Flood serves on the Appropriations and Revenue Committee and the sub-committee with oversight of the pre-K – 12 education budget. She is the former chair of the Secondary and Postsecondary Budget Sub Review Committee.
Evander Harris, Int. Science/ Adv. Physics Teacher, Frederick Douglass High School
Harris brings his experience as both a teacher and a student of the local public school system. He graduated from the Liberal Arts Academy at Henry Clay in 2012 and went on to study physics with a minor in education at Centre College in Danville, KY. Harris is also the wide receivers coach and the head tennis coach at FDHS.
Dr. Wayne Lewis, Executive Director of Educational Programs, Kentucky Cabinet on Education and Workforce Development
In addition to his position with the Cabinet on Education and Workforce Development, Dr. Lewis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies and an affiliated faculty member with the African American and Africana Studies Program at the University of Kentucky.
State of the Classroom is a project of Commerce Lexington’s Leadership Lexington program. The project’s mission is to provide parents and guardians with resources to navigate the wealth of Lexington’s educational options, to empower stakeholder voices through community forums and to create connections between parents and educational drivers in Fayette County.
