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No applicants yet for empty school board seat

September 16, 2011|Bob Flynn

With a week left before the Sept. 22 deadline for submitting applications for the vacant seat on the Clark County School Board, no one has applied.

But that’s not something to panic about, according to John Thompson, the commissioner’s designee for local board member appointments for the Kentucky Department of Education.

“This is not unusual for us not to get any applications until the last few days. Often we’ll get several applications on that last day,” Thompson said. “I hope we can get them, but if no qualified applications are received by Sept. 22, then the department will have to extend the application process until it does get two qualified applicants.”

Thompson said if two qualified applicants are found by the deadline, he hoped to have someone selected to fill the seat by October, but if not, it would probably be sometime in November.

The board seat became vacant in August when Diane McKinney, who had been in the position less than a year, resigned because a family member had taken a job within the school district.

This is the second time in the past two years that the commissioner’s office has had to fill the same board position.

Alma Gentry was selected in 2010 to fill the seat after the resignation of board member Wendy Berryman. Gentry held the position until the general election in November when she chose not to run for the seat. McKinney was elected after running unopposed.

In 2010 KDE had to extend the application deadline for the vacant seat after only one person submitted an application.

Local school boards and superintendents have nothing to do with filling a vacant school board seat. According to state statute, the commissioner of education has to fill the position within 90 days of the board vacancy being announced.

Contact Bob Flynn at bflynn@winchestersun.com

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