FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Board of Education has decided to continue looking for a search firm to handle its search for a new education commissioner, voting unanimously Tuesday to reissue its bid solicitation after a subpar response initially.
Kentucky’s search for a new education commissioner began after a newly reorganized education board, the fulfillment of a campaign pledge from Gov. Andy Beshear, negotiated the resignation of Wayne Lewis on Dec. 12.
The board's decision Tuesday will delay its initial hiring time frame by about a month. A three-member team had been scheduled to hear oral presentations from finalists on Feb. 11 before the board selected a search firm, but now the board expects to hire its pick in March.
Lee Todd, one of the board members tasked with evaluating proposals from prospective search firms, speculated that because the Kentucky Department of Education issued its request for proposal around the holidays, timing might have limited how many responses the board received.
The committee met Thursday to begin scoring the search firms' proposals, which were due to KDE by Jan. 24.
But after looking over their options, the three "did not find one that we felt was of sufficient quality to begin this search," Todd said during Tuesday's meeting..
"We think that it's worth going out again and trying to get the best commissioner we can find, and we didn't feel like that was going to happen with the ones that were presented to us," he said.
Todd said after the meeting that the scoring panel hoped to generate more interest from prospective search firms with a post-holiday bid solicitation,
"It's the most important, I think, selection we'll make on this board for quite some time," he said.
The board is planning to cast a wide net in its search for a new education commissioner.
The search firm, once hired, will identify potential candidates to be state’s next education commissioner, meet with the Kentucky Board of Education to select finalists to interview, conduct background checks on each interviewee, and prepare written recommendations and evaluations on each potential candidate, according to the initial request for proposal from KDE.
Kevin Brown, general counsel for Jefferson County Public Schools and the former top attorney for KDE, is serving as interim education commissioner for a salary of $200,000 until a replacement is hired.
Kentucky education officials have said they hope to have a new commissioner in place by July 1.
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