In the most recent 2026 legislative session, the Kentucky General Assembly passed two major bills that significantly alter the governance of Jefferson County Public Schools.
The board will shrink from seven members to five members. Every current board seat will be up for election this November. The old board who messed everything up will be out, but they can run again for the remaining 5 seats if they wish.
The superintendent will have final authority over daily operations, including personnel decisions, transportation and contracts. One interesting item is that the new five-person school board can only overrule the superintendent's policy decisions with a two-thirds majority vote, which means if the vote isn't unanimous, it has to be 4-1. A 3-2 vote would only be 60%, not 66%.
I don't like Frankfort getting this involved in our local public school system, but what's our defense? We can't argue that recent boards and recent administrations have done a good job running JCPS. It's quite the opposite, in fact.
One mistake we, as voters, have made over the years is we elected the school board that the teachers union wanted elected. They have worked the system very skillfully, and legally, to stack the school board. That makes the board beholden to the teachers union, which has worked out badly for us. So, let's maybe try something different. This November, we should find out who the teachers union endorses, and vote for the other person.
I'm Bill Lamb, and that's my Point of View.
