Kentucky Board of Education says 15 people have applied for permanent commissioner position

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Board of Education is still searching for its new commissioner.

The deadline to apply was last Friday. KBE said 15 people have applied for the position. Its Interview Committee will begin reviewing applications in early March, then start in-person interviews of the finalists in mid-March.

KBE said the goal is to have a new commissioner of education in place by July 1.

The position has been vacant since Dr. Jason Glass' resignation last fall. Glass said he left, in part, because of controversial laws passed during the last legislative session. He's now an associate vice president at Western Michigan University.

Pictured: this image dated April 18, 2023, shows Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason Glass talking about the challenges schools face after Senate Bill 150 became law. (WDRB/Monica Harkins via Twitter)

KBE hired a firm to conduct a national search for a permanent commissioner. Rob Fields Kinney has served as interim education commissioner since October 2023, but is not a candidate for the permanent replacement. It's unclear who the 15 applicants are.

The commissioner oversees the state's K-12 school system and its 635,000 students, as well as acts as superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind, the Kentucky School for the Deaf and 53 area technology centers.

KBE launched a web page for updates on its commissioner search, which can be found by clicking here.

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