By Bob Vlach
Woodford Sun Staff
Being reelected to the Woodford County Board of Education for a second four-year term is an opportunity for its Chair Adam Brickler to continue the “progress that we’ve made in the last year and a half,” he told the Sun.
In the face of ongoing financial challenges, including recent budget cuts in the millions of dollars, Brickler said, “We need to continue to look at ways to support the school system, the students, the staff” as a board.
Brickler said he was following election returns with his wife and their two daughters on Tuesday night when he defeated Crystal Collins by a narrow margin in the District 2 race. “I was confident about the race,” he said, “but it definitely was close.”
His wife and daughters were very supportive throughout the campaign, so Brickler said, “They were very happy, and I was too,” about the results. He credits “door knocking” in several neighborhoods for his win – by only 105 votes.
If he and his family didn’t visit hundreds of homes, he says, “who knows what could’ve happened.”
Brickler was elected chair in January 2025, his third year on the board. He hopes to remain as chair next calendar year to “continue the momentum and getting ourselves into a better situation. And I think that I provide the type of leadership that can do that on the board,” citing his willingness to work with board members.
Coupled with his experience as chair, Brickler said, “I feel like I have a better grasp of the role, the responsibilities in working directly with the superintendent and staff.”
He said it’s important that board members have time to ask questions during meetings, while also giving Superintendent Lori Jones and her staff the time that they need to answer questions.
Brickler said having two daughters in the schools “gives me a very vested interest in what’s going on … and being a parent really gives … me an inside look into what” his children are experiencing.
With Sarah McCoun not returning for a second term on the board, Brickler said he wants to get to know incoming board member Lyen Crews so “we continue to have a productive board as we move forward.”
In Tuesday’s election, Crews was not contested for McCoun’s District 5 seat. He begins his term in January.