The Carmel Clay Schools Board of Trustees has been recognized by the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA) with an Exemplary Governance Award (EGA) for calendar year 2024, highlighting their outstanding commitment to student success and ongoing professional learning.

Only 124 school boards across the State of Indiana earned awards through the EGA program this year.

The EGA honors school boards at four levels of distinction based on points earned by board members for participating in ISBA seminars, workshops, conferences, and other learning opportunities. Additional criteria include hosting a retreat with an external facilitator and engaging in goal-setting focused on improving student achievement outcomes.

“On behalf of ISBA, I would like to commend this most exceptional 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 in May.

In addition to the board-level accolades, Carmel Clay Schools Board President Kristin Kouka was individually recognized with a Level 1 Commendable Award for her personal commitment to professional development and effective governance.

A total of 239 individual school board members across the state earned EGA awards this year.

ISBA offers a wide array of professional development opportunities throughout the year to support school board members in areas such as policy development, school law, governance best practices, and legislative advocacy.

To view the full list of 2024 individual and board award recipients, please visit https://www.isba-ind.org/ega.html.