Two educators who received their doctorates at Northern Kentucky University are among three finalists for Kentucky Commissioner of Education – a post that has been in limbo since the departure of former commissioner Dr. Jason Glass in September.
On Tuesday, the Kentucky Board of Education voted to enter into contract negotiations with one of the three finalists, although the candidate’s name was not announced.
The state board of education is expected to name a new commissioner before the end of this month.
Eminence Independent Schools superintendent Dr. Buddy Berry and Kentucky Association of School Superintendents executive director Dr. Jim Flynn are the finalists with links to the NKY region. The third finalist is Dr. Robbie Fletcher, currently superintendent of Lawrence County Schools in northeast Kentucky.
Berry, the superintendent at Eminence Independent since 2010, began his career teaching high school math in Owen and Jefferson counties. He is an Eminence native with degrees from NKU, the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky and Bellarmine. He received his superintendent certification from Eastern Kentucky University.
Flynn served as superintendent of Simpson County Schools in western Kentucky for 16 years before joining KASS in 2019. Past positions held by Flynn include vice principal and high school science teacher in Warren County and high school principal in Shelby County. He holds degrees from NKU, Texas A&M, and Western Kentucky University.
Fletcher has been superintendent of Lawrence County Schools for 10 years. He previously taught part-time at Asbury University and was an administrator and teacher in Martin County.
Once a new commissioner is named, there’s one more step to make the choice official: that person must be confirmed by the Kentucky Senate, now in session.
Senate confirmation for education commissioners in Kentucky is new. Lawmakers passed legislation (Senate Bill 107) requiring it in 2023. The move accompanied public disagreement with Glass, who resigned last fall after passage of SB 150 – a controversial state law impacting treatment of transgender youth and restricting sex education in schools.
Glass, who served as commissioner from 2020 until Sept. 2023, submitted his resignation last July. Part of his resignation letter read:
“These past three years have been a remarkable journey and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as Commissioner. I have appreciated working alongside you and the other members of the Kentucky Board of Education and have learned so much from your collective wisdom and experience. I also appreciated working with the incredible staff at the Kentucky Department of Education – their expertise and commitment is truly exemplary. And I appreciate all of those working in education in Kentucky, and wish to express my ongoing admiration for their efforts and support of Kentucky’s children.”
In a press interview after the resignation was announced, Glass said there were two primary reasons behind his departure: SB 150 and SB 107.
“We find ourselves in a situation where we have intentional efforts to dismantle and harm our educators and our public schools, and it’s having an effect,” Glass told reporters in August. “It is time for me to move on.”
SB 107 was filed after Glass publicly expressed support last winter for his department’s guidance on pronoun use in schools. The bill’s sponsor was Senate Majority Whip Mike Wilson, who is now sponsoring anti-DEI efforts during this session in the Senate.
The education commissioner’s office should be above politics, Wilson told lawmakers in his testimony on SB 107 in committee last spring.
“It was to be an independent agency not influenced by politics” when established, Wilson told the House Education committee last March. “This makes sure that the board still hires. They still hire. But then he has to be confirmed by the Senate.”
Glass is now associate vice president of teaching and learning at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.
Interim education commissioner Robin Fields Kinney will continue serving in her role until a new commissioner is appointed.
Kinney, an attorney and state education department veteran, has been interim commissioner since Sept. 14. She also served as interim education commissioner for a brief time in 2019, after the departure of former education commissioner Wayne Lewis.