Former education commissioner honored for excellence

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A former Kentucky education commissioner has been named as the recipient of the 2021 Karem Award for Excellence in Education Policy.

The Kentucky Board of Education announced during a board meeting Wednesday that the award goes to Terry Holliday, who served as state education commissioner from 2009-15, the Kentucky Department of Education said in a statement. The award recognizes a Kentuckian who makes a significant improvement to public education.

Holliday was nominated by Kentucky Department of Education Innovation Director David Cook.

As education commissioner, Holliday led efforts to improve curriculum standards and policies, including the establishment of the Non-Traditional Instruction Program. In 2010, he recommended remote learning options due to ongoing concerns about inclement weather and health issues that caused multiple missed school days.

“Without his foresight, Kentucky would have found itself in the same boat as most every other state in the country in the spring of 2020,” that didn’t have previous experience with remote learning, Cook said.