The Kentucky Board of Education is on the hunt for the state’s next top education official.
The board posted the job opening for Kentucky commissioner of education online Monday, with the help of McPherson & Jacobson, an executive search firm.
According to the job listing, the board is looking for candidates who have knowledge of Kentucky’s public school system and experience as a “student-focused educator” with an “understanding of the challenges and opportunities our state presents.”
Applications are open through Feb. 16. The board is hoping to have a new commissioner in place by July 1.
The job listing says recruiters plan to narrow down the search pool to finalists by early March and conduct final interviews March 18-19.
The position opened when former Commissioner Jason Glass stepped down in the middle of his contract over disagreements with the GOP-led Kentucky Legislature and new anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Glass was the third commissioner since 2018 to leave amid political tumult.
Longtime Kentucky Department of Education employee Robin Fields Kinney is acting as interim commissioner.
The board’s pick will have to be confirmed by the state Senate, under a law passed this year.
Support for this story was provided in part by the Jewish Heritage Fund.
