LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The first in a series of Jefferson County Board of Education candidate forums was held Tuesday night ahead of the November election.
The District 1 forum was held at Central High School.
Three candidates are running for the seat: incumbent Gail Logan Strange, Jody Hurt and Amina Shale.
Strange was the only candidate to take questions Tuesday night. Organizers said Hurt confirmed he would attend but did not show up. Shale did not attend.
That left Strange answering questions about some of the biggest issues facing Jefferson County Public Schools.
One focus was the district's finances and how the board keeps track of spending.
"We have to look at what the budget-to-actual spending comparisons are. We've not had that in the past," Strange said. "We have to have a spending projection, and then we also have to have a regular cash projection so we know how much cash is on hand."
Strange also said the district also needs to look closely at what it is getting for the money it spends.
"We have to look at everything and see what the cost is versus the benefit," she said.
This year's school board election will look much different for JCPS voters.
Kentucky lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4 earlier this year, reducing the board from seven members to five and putting every seat up for election at the same time.
The new district boundaries also mean all five seats will be on the ballot in November.
Strange is one of just three current board members running again. Trevin Bass and Taylor Everett are also seeking seats on the new five-member board.
In all, 22 candidates are running for the five seats. Click here to learn more about the candidates and where they stand on some of the biggest issues facing the district.
Tuesday's event was the first of five candidate forums. The District 2 forum is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at W.E.B. DuBois Academy.
Copyright 2026 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
