Central Services professionals earn prestigious certification

Lexington County School District One Human Resources Staff Kimberly Freeman and Devona Price recently earned a respected professional certification. Freeman and Price completed more than 60 hours of training and passed an extensive test to become certified as Professional Human Capital Leaders in Education (pHCLE) by Battelle for Kids. They are two of only four professionals in South Carolina who have earned this certification.

Battelle For Kids, in partnership with the American Association of School Personnel Administrators, recognizes professionals who master a set

of knowledge and skills at the intersection of education and human resources, designed to facilitate effective leadership and management in schools, districts and other education organizations.

“Today, it is critical that school districts are able to recruit and retain top talent to ensure

equitable access to excellent educators. To do that, schools need knowledgeable and skilled human capital professionals,” said Tony Bagshaw, chief improvement officer at Battelle for Kids. “The pHCLE certification program is rooted in professional standards that outline the competencies that human capital leaders must master to recruit, grow and retain top talent.”

Battelle for Kids is a national not-for-profit organization which collaborates with school systems and communities to improve learning for all students. AASPA is the only organization that specifically targets and represents school personnel professionals, serving about 1,800 members around the world.

Freeman has served as the district’s employee development facilitator for three years. Before that, she taught middle school Latin for 13 years. Price is in her fourth year as the district’s director of Human Resources. She served as principal of Oak Grove Elementary School and Lake Murray Elementary School before moving to Central Services.