Western school board honored by the Indiana School Boards Association

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 1:47 PM

By Staff report

The Western School Board of Trustees has been recognized by the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA) with an Exemplary Governance Award (EGA) for calendar year 2025 for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to student success and professional learning.

The Western School Board is one of only two school boards across the state to receive a “Level 3 Distinguished” recognition out of the 120 school boards in the State of Indiana earning an award through the EGA program this year. The EGAs are conferred annually across four levels of distinction based on the points earned by school board members for attending ISBA seminars, workshops, conferences, and other learning events, as well as the completion of certain additional criteria, such as a retreat with an outside facilitator and goal setting to elevate student achievement outcomes.

“On behalf of ISBA, I would like to commend this dedicated group of school boards and school board members,” said ISBA Executive Director Terry Spradlin. “School boards perform a vital public service for their communities, and board members who actively participate in professional
learning are better equipped to govern effectively and meet the needs of students.”
Award recipients were formally recognized at ISBA’s Spring Regional Meetings during the month of April.

“We are proud to celebrate these school boards for their exceptional leadership in the pursuit of excellence in education,” said ISBA President Steve Corona.

In addition to the board-level accolades, 314 school board members earned individual EGA awards. ISBA provides a full range of professional learning opportunities at dozens of events throughout the year to inform and educate school board members about governance best practices, legislative issues, policy development, school law, and more.

More than 115 hours of professional development were available from ISBA for members in 2025.

The Western School Board of Trustees is made up of seven elected board members, with president Jill Newby, vice president Joey Dyer, secretary Cindy Hurst, and members Lynn Hale, Scott Gaskins, Harry Kenworthy, and Greg Stephens.