LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Jefferson County Public Schools voters will see a much different school board on the ballot this year, with dozens of candidates competing for five seats.
The shakeup comes after Kentucky lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4, which put every JCPS school board seat up for election at the same time and reduced the board from seven members to five.
Of the seven current board members, only three — Trevin Bass, Gail Logan Strange and Taylor Everett — are running again. That leaves voters with a long list of candidates they may not be familiar with.
To help voters learn more about who is running, WDRB sent the same eight questions to all 22 candidates.
The questions cover some of the biggest issues facing JCPS, including student achievement, district spending, transparency and trust with taxpayers, along with each candidate's background in education or business.
Not sure which district you live in? Use the interactive map found here and enter your address to find out.
Each candidate's answers can be found below. Click on each candidate's PDF to view their full responses.
Candidate photos are included when available. Photos were not available for every candidate.
District One Candidates
The three candidates for District One — Jody Hurt, Gail Logan Strange and Amina Shale — did not respond to the questions by date of publication.
District Two Candidates
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Tim Shaughnessy
Tim Shaughnessy. (Photo submission)
Alante’J. Gaines
Alante’J. Gaines. (Photo submission)
Robert Kahne
Robert Kahne. (Photo submission)
Two other candidates for District Two — Lillian Brents and Phil Haming — did not respond to the questions by date of publication.
District Three Candidates
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Gay P. Adelmann
Veda Pendleton
Taylor Everett
Taylor Everett. (Photo courtesy of the Jefferson County Public Schools website)
Neil Seftor
Neil Seftor. (Photo submission)
District Four Candidates
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Kimberly Ann Vinegar
Kimberly Ann Vinegar. (Photo submission)
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Michelle E. Patrick
Deja B. Jackson
Deja B. Jackson. (Photo submission)
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One other candidate for District Four — Trevin Bass — did not respond to the questions by date of publication.
District Five Candidates
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William E. Snawder
Kyle N. Killebrew
Carrie Donovan
Carrie Donovan. (Photo submission)
Bob DeVore
One candidate for District 5 — Troy Gardner — did not respond to the questions by date of publication. WDRB was also unable to find contact information for another candidate, TraShaun Spencer.
Where can you learn more?
If you want to hear from the candidates in person, the Louisville Urban League is hosting candidate forums for every district starting next week.
The first forum, focused on District One, is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Central High School.
Click here for the full schedule.
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