Kathi Mattas’s name will be discussed as the newest member of the Daviess County Public Library Board of Directors at a special called meeting tomorrow afternoon. Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said he is presenting her name to the Fiscal Court to give homeschooled families some representation on the Board.
The meeting will start at 3:30 p.m. in the Fiscal Court Courtroom.
Mattas said she had been a steady DCPL attendee for several years and worked at community libraries when she was younger.
As a parent of homeschooled children, she said she has been using the library as a resource for her children’s reading materials. Castlen said that Mattas is not the only person who does this and wants to ensure that the other home school families have a voice at the table.
“Those families use the library all the time. They’re in there frequently with their kids because they don’t have the resources of brick-and-mortar schools because they’re homeschooled. And so they probably use the libraries more than traditional school families,” Castlen said.
Castlen said this wish goes back to when he was a County Commissioner. When he went through the process, he said none of the names he received were families of homeschooled students. With the new law that enabled Castlen to bring forth a name should he not approve the presented names, he viewed this as his chance to ensure that someone was on the board for that community.
He noted he had a name in mind before Mattas; however, when that name did not want to serve on the board, she mentioned Mattas, who had previously applied for the position. After getting her phone number, he said they had a 25-minute phone call.
“We covered a lot of territory, and I have to say I’m very pleased with what she has said,” Castlen said.
Director of DCPL Erin Waller said she is unaware Mattas had applied for the position. If Mattas had, Waller said it was not through herself, other board members or the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives.
Though Waller recalls not being made aware Castlen was looking for a parent of homeschooled children, she said the experience would be good.
“We serve all people in Daviess County, including homeschool families. So, any person with a wide variety of experiences and ideas and wants to serve all of Daviess County would be a good board member,” Waller said.
Mattas grew up moving often before finishing high school in Daviess County. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and returned to Owensboro. She and her husband moved away for a year and have homeschooled their children since 1994. Mattas said that before homeschooling her children, she taught in a private school for a couple of years.
“We have a lot of books from the library in our home. My family, my children, and my grandson visit, and we make great use of the public library. I think most of the folks who work there have probably seen me for years.
Coming to the board, Mattas said she has experience as a homeschool mom of 30 years. While she isn’t familiar with the library board’s operations, she is open to joining the board if she is voted in at tomorrow’s meeting.
“I just want to help. I’d like to see our library be the best library it can be for our community,” Mattas said.
Mattas still needs to be voted on by the Fiscal Court before she can start on the Board. The special meeting will be held in the Fiscal Court’s courtroom at 3:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
