Beshear appoints all new Kentucky Board of Education; old board promises lawsuit
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Tuesday in his first day in office to create a new state school board. The displaced board members promptly said they would file a lawsuit.
He said in the order that the board appointed by former Gov. Matt Bevin has conflicting relationships, a lack of experience in education and did not conduct a nationwide search in 2018 when it hired current Commissioner Wayne Lewis shortly after Bevin appointed seven new members.
Beshear has said for weeks he would act quickly when he took office to dismiss Lewis and the state Board of Education. He made the announcement about the reorganized board in his inaugural speech Tuesday afternoon.
“This morning, I reorganized the state board of education and appointed new members who support public education,” Beshear said to loud applause.
He added, “These members were not chosen based on any partisan affiliation, but based on their commitment to make our schools better, to put our children first.”
Shortly after the announcement, the old board members said they would sue, and challenged his attempt to remove them before their terms expire.
“We strongly feel that this action by the governor is of questionable legality and must be tested in the courts,” said state board member Gary Houchens, one of those displaced. “Unlike other Kentucky government boards, the make-up of the KBE is governed by the Kentucky Education Reform Act, which provides a clear process for a new governor to appoint new members to the KBE on a staggered basis, every two years. Board members today are seeking to set aside the governor’s order and allow an orderly transition of board control over a two year period, as intended by the” Kentucky Education Reform Act.
Eddie Campbell, president of the Kentucky Education Association, which backed Beshear’s campaign, said, “The KEA supports Gov. Beshear’s decision to reconstitute the Kentucky Board of Education.
“Under the previous administration, board appointees were based more on political pedigree than on their experience and knowledge of educational issues. We have confidence that the Beshear administration will make appointments based on merit, and choose board members who possess a foundational understanding of the challenges facing public education in the Commonwealth.”
Campbell said, “The students of Kentucky deserve a board of education that works for the improvement of public education and not for partisan purposes.”
The Kentucky School Boards Association said in a statement that the organization looks forward to engaging with Beshear’s appointees to the Kentucky Board of Education. “Our association stands ready to work with our state’s elected and appointed leaders to advance public education on behalf of each and every student in Kentucky,” it said.
One board member, Amanda Stamper, a former spokesperson for Bevin, opted out of the lawsuit which was expected to be filed Tuesday night in Franklin Circuit Court, but Bart Greenwald, the attorney representing the board members, said he did not know why.
Beshear named David Karem, a former lawmaker and state board member, as temporary chairman of the new board.
He also appointed Holly Bloodworth of Murray, 2014 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and instructor of elementary education program at Murray State University; retired teacher Patrice McCrary of Bowling Green; Middlesboro attorney and former state Rep. Mike Bowling; Sharon Porter Robinson of Louisville, a former assistant secretary of the U.S Department of Education; Lu Young of Nicholasville, former Jessamine County schools superintendent; former University of Kentucky President Lee Todd of Lexington; former state Sen. David Karem of Louisville; Claire Batt of Lexington, an elementary school teacher; Alvis Johnson of Harrodsburg, the 1996 runnerup for Walt Disney Teacher of the Year and former UK assistant athletic director; JoAnn Adams of Pleasureville; and Cody Pauley Johnson of Pikeville.
Records with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance show that Robinson gave $250 to Beshear’s campaign, Adams gave $140, Johnson $3,000, Todd $4,000, Karem $2,500, and Batt $350.
Beshear appointed Rowan County teacher Allison Slone as a non-voting member.
Among other things, Beshear’s order said the old board members accepted plane tickets, hotel rooms and conference fees from an organization closely tied to registered lobbyists of both the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Board of Education.
Rich Gimmel, one of the removed board members said Tuesday that the matter would be addressed in the lawsuit. Gimmel said he wasn’t in the group that attended the conference in question but “my understanding was that it passed an ethics test before the meeting was scheduled.”
Elected to office with strong support of many teachers who are not fond of Lewis and the state education board members appointed by Bevin, Beshear had said previously that his executive order would create an entirely new education board. It, in turn, would dismiss Lewis and begin a national search for a new education commissioner, Beshear has said.
Lewis and several members of the old board had voiced support for charter schools that would receive state funding but operate independently of the established state school system. Some educators fear they would take money from public schools.
Lewis said he would begin communicating with the newly appointed members Tuesday night about the work of the board and the state department of education.
“Almost 650,000 students will walk into a Kentucky public school tomorrow. Every single instructional day matters for them,” Lewis said. “Regardless of what is happening politically, our focus should remain on them.”
Houchens said in a news release Tuesday that the only rationale Governor Beshear has given for the removal is that “many of us believe Kentucky should join 44 other states and the District of Columbia in giving some families the option of sending their children to a public charter school if that is the best fit for them. This rationale does not constitute legal cause for removal. “
“And while it is true that many of us do believe all families, including those of modest means, should have options in who educates their children, charter schools have hardly been a major focus of this board,” he said.
Lewis has said that Beshear has made political attacks and smear campaigns about his background, integrity and commitment to education. He has said he would not immediately resign after Beshear becomes governor.
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said it’s ironic that Beshear filed a lawsuit against Bevin’s reorganization of a state board and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bevin.
He said he expects the legislature will discuss over the next two years how state boards are organized.
This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 4:01 PM.
