The first day of classes for Barren County Schools resulted in the largest number of students ever coming through the doors. “This is the first time we have opened a year with over 4,700 students. We are up 42 students over opening day last year and with pre-school opening in a few weeks I fully anticipate we will be over 5,000 total as we get into the fall semester.” said Superintendent Bo Matthews.  He continued, “I am often asked, what is the big deal about growth?….well, it is this…. It is a testament to our entire school community, teachers, support staff, administrators, and parents, that people in our community want their children to be part of Barren County Schools. By providing a safe, inviting, engaging, and rigorous environment for students, everyone flourishes.”

Matthews took a moment to reflect on what has happened over two decades of advancement. “In 1992 we had an enrollment of approximately 3,200 students.   Under the leadership of great people like Charlie Campbell and Dr. Jerry Ralston we have seen over 1,500 additional students say they want to call Barren County Schools their home. We also shouldn’t forget what this means in terms of being an economic engine for our area. It means employment for teachers, bus drivers, assistants and a vast array of other staff. We are proud to be what we consider a driving force in our regional economy.”

As with any organization, a new school year with unprecedented growth brings about certain challenges. “Our middle and high school busses ran late on opening day and we take full responsibility and apologize to our students and parents who experienced extended delays,” added Matthews. “I had challenged our transportation department to examine some new routes in an attempt to create savings and efficiencies. This, coupled with the number of new students, just put us in a bind on day one. Again, we apologize but we are working as I speak to remedy this situation.”

All things considered, it was a great opening day.   Matthews conclude by saying, “I will be rolling out a number of new initiatives in the coming days, but for now we will just enjoy the beginning of a new school year.   It is always my favorite time of year.  Every student has great dreams and aspirations for the future. It is up to all of us to help those dreams become realities. It doesn’t get much more important that that!”