Karen Conway has been a resource analyst III in the District Funding and Reporting Branch of the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Division of District Support since 2002.
Her job requires her to collect and report the analysis of school districts’ annual financial reports and balance sheets, professional and classified staff budgets, and tentative and working budget data.
“Summer is our busiest time of the year because we need to collect district data, analyze it and report on it so those districts have time to use our findings for the school year,” Conway said.
Most of the data Conway analyzes deals with money, so she works closely with the finance branch at KDE.
“There are federal and state rules when it comes to district spending,” she said. “All those rules have a purpose, and my job is to make sure that districts follow those rules by looking at their financial data.”
Conway enjoys the opportunity to collaborate with public school districts around the state because she thinks of them as a team.
“It is very neat to analyze data for districts, because you get to be a part of helping them make the best decision for their students,” she said.
“I believe in teamwork,” Conway added. “I love being able to assist other KDE staff and district employees in accomplishing whatever task they need help in completing, which leads us to accuracy in data reporting.”
Prior to joining KDE’s Office of Finance and Operations, Conway earned her bachelor’s in political science with a minor in accounting from Campbellsville University, and a master’s in public administration from Murray State University. She also worked as a seminary college housing director, where she “provided students with rules, clean spaces and necessary materials to succeed.”
“This job was similar to my current one because I still had to review and analyze resources for people and make sure they didn’t break the rules,” she said.
When Conway is not collaborating with districts to analyze their financial data, she enjoys spending time with her husband, sons and grandchildren at their home in Shelby County.
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