Owsley County schools name Sylvia McIntosh literacy coach after principal tenure

Owsley County Schools has named Sylvia McIntosh as the district’s new literacy coach after 10 years as principal of Owsley County Elementary School, keeping a familiar leader inside the system as the district turns sharper attention to reading. The move places one of Booneville’s most visible school figures in a role that will reach classrooms across Owsley County, not just one building.

The district said McIntosh’s departure from the principal’s office was difficult to put into words because of her impact on students and staff. Her new assignment comes as the county’s elementary reading numbers remain low: the Owsley County School District report card lists K-5 reading proficiency at 19 percent and K-5 distinguished reading at 3 percent. In a county of 4,051 people, those figures carry real weight for families whose children move through the same schools, hallways and classrooms year after year.

McIntosh’s shift also lines up with the state’s literacy push. Kentucky’s Literacy Coaching Handbook says the coaching model is meant to strengthen Tier 1 instruction and support high-quality instructional resource implementation. The Kentucky Department of Education says the model launched in the 2024-25 school year under the Read to Succeed Act, and state materials say literacy coaches provide on-site coaching Monday through Thursday, assess literacy instruction and support professional learning. KDE also said coaches are placed in schools with the greatest need based on 3rd-grade reading Kentucky Summative Assessment data.

For Owsley County, that kind of support could mean more direct help for teachers as they work on reading interventions, classroom strategies and instruction across grades. KDE’s early literacy resources also say parents of students identified for accelerated interventions in reading must receive a Read at Home plan and written notification of reading supports, tying the work to families as well as classrooms. McIntosh’s new role puts her in the middle of that systemwide effort.

McIntosh was still active in school life very recently. A district live feed showed her co-presenting Kentucky Summative Assessment scores to the Owsley County Board of Education with Owsley County High School principal Lincoln Spence, and another post showed her leading a fifth-grade STEM class on energy transfer and balloon-powered cars. Her record also includes a 2022 district congratulations for receiving the Friend of School Social Work Award at the Kentucky Association of School Social Workers conference in Georgetown. In a small district, that kind of homegrown continuity can matter as much as any new program.