Tommy Floyd
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday has named Thomas G. “Tommy” Floyd to the newly created position of chief of staff at the Kentucky Department of Education. Floyd is currently the superintendent of the Madison Co. Schools. Holliday said the position is needed due to the large number of initiatives that the department is implementing related to Senate Bill 1 (2009), the state’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility waiver and the “increasing need to collaborate and coordinate with our stakeholders and partner groups.”
In naming Floyd to the position, Holliday praised his work as a Kentucky educator. “Tommy’s focus on student success, data-driven decision making and continuous improvement aligns with the department’s efforts to better public education in our state. He recognizes the collaborative nature of our work and understands what it will take for all students to graduate college- and career-ready,” Holliday said.
Floyd has headed the Madison Co. Schools since March 2008 after serving as interim superintendent and chief academic officer for two years. During his tenure in Madison Co., he helped launch a number of new initiatives including a Middle College program, transitional mathematics and reading courses based on ACT benchmarks for college readiness and the Positive Approach to Student Suspensions that decreased suspensions in the district by 34 percent.
“Dr. Floyd’s departure from Madison County Schools leaves me with mixed emotions,” said Madison County Board of Education Chair Mona Isaacs. “I am sorry to lose such a hard-working, dedicated superintendent. But, I am very happy for him. This new role gives him the opportunity to make a positive impact on ALL the students in Kentucky.”
Prior to Madison Co., Floyd worked in the Wayne Co. and Montgomery Co Schools, Somerset Independent Schools, and at the Kentucky Department of Education, where he was a Highly Skilled Educator. Over the last 28 years, Floyd has been a teacher, a coach, an assistant principal, a principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent.
His recognitions include Kentucky Association of School Administrators’ Administrator of the Year, the Kentucky School Boards Association’s Kids First Advocacy Award and the national Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Award.
Floyd serves on the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council; the Southeast/South central Cooperative; and as a member of the Kentucky Association of School Administrators New Superintendent Training design team among other activities.
Floyd holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and master’s degree in Biology Education from Georgetown College, principal and superintendent certifications from Eastern Kentucky University and will be awarded a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northern Kentucky University in May.
He is married to Cecilia Floyd, a teacher in the Rockcastle County School District. They have two children – Morgan, a senior at Georgetown College; and Jonathan, a freshman at Eastern Kentucky University.
Floyd will begin as chief of staff at the Kentucky Department of Education July 1 at a salary of $131,000.
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