Candidates sought for vacant Fayette County school board seat

Only one person has applied to fill a vacancy on the Fayette County school board. The seat has been open since board chairman John Price died in February.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt will appoint someone to fill the position, but he can act only when there are two or more candidates, education department spokeswoman Nancy Rodriguez said.

Price, who had served on the board since 2003, died after battling leukemia for more than two years.

“We are required to have a minimum of two to proceed, so the position will be re-advertised,” Rodriguez said. “The deadline to apply will depend on how soon the position can be advertised.”

She did not identify the applicant.

“Our process is to release names only after the superintendent has been notified of the interview schedule,” Rodriguez said.

Under state law, Pruitt must appoint someone to fill the vacant spot within 90 days. The appointment will be effective until the end of the year, which would have been the end of Price’s term. The next four-year term will be filled in the November general election. Price represented District 3 on the school board.

The state Department of Education will create a panel to screen the candidates. The panel could include members of other local school boards or recently retired educators. The panel, which would be chaired by an attorney who works for the Department of Education, would then make recommendations to Pruitt.

An applicant must be at least 24 years old, a voter in the school district, a Kentucky resident for three years, and a high school graduate or GED recipient. An applicant cannot hold a state office or be a member of a board that has the ability to tax, and cannot hold a civil or political office.

The applicant cannot be directly or indirectly involved in the sale to the board of anything, including services, paid for with school funds.

Applicants cannot have been removed from a school board or have certain immediate family members employed by the district.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Candidates sought for vacant Fayette County school board seat."