2 of 4 JCPS board of education seats up for election now uncontested races

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As of Friday, two of the four Jefferson County Board of Education seats up for election are uncontested races.

Friday morning, Abby Berthold told WDRB she withdrew from the race.

"This decision has been made after careful consideration and is due to personal reasons that require my full attention at this time," Berthold said. "I want to express my deepest gratitude to my supporters, volunteers, and the community for their encouragement and dedication throughout my campaign."

This leaves Tricia Lister as the sole candidate for District Two. The District Two seat is currently vacant due to Chris Kolb's resignation. In July, Kolb announced his resignation to become a teacher at Jefferson County Public Schools.

The JCBE is in the process of filling the vacant seat. By law, JCPS is obligated to fill the vacancy despite the election being less than two months away.

The Board will appoint someone in the interim. The application period has closed, JCPS said it has received three applications.

A month before his resignation, Kolb announced he withdrew his bid for reelection following the Jefferson County Teachers Association's decision to not endorse any candidates running for the school board from District Two.

District Seven's seat, currently held by Sarah McIntosh, is also an uncontested race. Taylor Everett is the sole candidate. McIntosh is not seeking reelection.

District One's race is the only one with a current board member running for election. Gail Logan Strange was appointed in Dec. 2023 to finish the remainder of Diane Porter's term.

Strange faces one challenger, Mark Gatton.

District Four's race is the most crowded. The seat is currently held by Joe Marshall who is not seeking re-election. Trevin Bass, Barbara Lewis, and Destiny Livers are all running for the District Four seat.

Board member James Craig, representing District 3; Linda Duncan, representing District 5; and Corrie Shull, representing District 6; are not up for reelection this November.

All three were reelected in November 2022.

Related stories: