Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday says he will retire on Aug. 31 of this year.
Holliday's decision was announced this morning at the monthly Kentucky
Board of Education meeting in Frankfort. In a letter read by chairman Roger Marcum, Holliday said, "I am humbled and very proud to end my 43 years in public education by serving the Commonwealth of Kentucky."
During his tenure, Holliday oversaw the implementation of education reforms—known in Senate Bill 1 as Unbridled Learning—that moved the the state's education philosophy toward making students college- or career-ready once they graduated from high school.
Holliday also led the charge to implement the controversial Common Core standards; Kentucky was the first state to move to the standards, which are more rigorous than previous efforts and involve more critical thinking to meet global demands.
Holliday has served on the board of directors for the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Assessment Governing Board and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation's Commission.
In a statement, Marcum said, "Dr. Holliday is a leader in education reform on the state and national levels. He has a global vision that has helped renew Kentucky's standing as a national leader in education."