New Marshall County Superintendent Steve Miracle works during a Marshall County Board of Education meeting. As the district’s new superintendent, Miracle plans to listen and learn. He wants to understand where the district currently is and move forward with an intentional focus.
Submitted photo
Editor’s Note: This is the sixth of a series of stories Kentucky Teacher is running about new superintendents for the 2021-2022 school year.
By Jacob Perkins
Jacob.perkins@education.ky.gov
Steve Miracle graduated from Henry County High School in May 1987. By August, he had already enlisted in the Navy and had begun boot camp.
“I had many family members who had served in the military, so it was an interest,” he said. “I am also very patriotic and always have been, so serving my country seemed a normal outlet for that feeling.”
Miracle also wanted the structure and discipline provided by the military, two traits that would prove beneficial as he transitioned into the field of education.
“Serving in any capacity in the military teaches you about servant leadership,” he said. “You are also exposed to great leaders and not-so-great leaders, and you can learn a lot from both. Other than that, you find yourself in leadership positions and develop self-discipline. All of these are vital in any leadership role in education.”
Upon the completion of his enlistment, Miracle enrolled at Kentucky State University to pursue his bachelor’s degree in history education. He earned his master’s and Rank Two in education administration, as well as his doctorate, from the University of Louisville. He earned director of pupil personnel and superintendent certifications from the University of the Cumberlands.
Miracle worked in a factory while he went to school and continued to work there until he found his first teaching position.
“It took 3 years,” he recalled. “I would tell anyone wanting to transition into teaching that it is a very rewarding profession and though there are always challenges, it is well worth the time and effort it takes to make the transition. If it is your passion to teach, don’t give up on it.”
Over the 22 years he has spent in education, Miracle says he has never regretted the career choice. He has served as an alternative school teacher, a middle school social studies teacher, athletic director, head football coach, assistant principal, and principal at the middle school and high school level.
Miracle also spent four years as superintendent of Trimble County Schools and was a finalist for the Kentucky Superintendent of the Year award in 2019.
“Being a finalist for the award was important only in that it gave validation to the work we – myself and the staff in Trimble County – did to improve instructional opportunities for the students,” he said.
Bringing his combined experience from the military and his previous education positions to Marshall County, Miracle hopes to have an impact on as large of a scale as possible in a district and community that is fully dedicated to its schools, district and students.
“Marshall County has a history and a reputation of being all those things for a long time,” he said. “I believe it is one of the better superintendent positions in the state.”
As superintendent of Marshall County Schools, Miracle plans to listen and learn. He wants to understand where the district currently is and move forward with an intentional focus.
“There are many great things going on in Marshall County, but it is our business to be in an effort of continuous improvement,” he said. “We really need to build a strategic plan to drive our work for the next three to five years.
“I want to make Marshall County Schools the best district in the state of Kentucky. It already is one of the best. The challenge for me is not only to maintain what Marshall County has been, but to move it forward to an even higher level of accomplishment. When it is all said and done, I hope that we will have accomplished that goal.”
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