Mountjoy says Board Members Could be Reappointed

The resignation of former Kentucky Board of Education chair Keith Travis brings to five the number of slots Governor Steve Beshear has to fill.

Will the governor replace members, reappoint members, or some combination of the two?

KyPolitics, a partisan blog, has argued that it's too late for the governor to do either. But the governor disagrees and plans to move ahead with appointments.

Dick Brown of the governor's media office recently confirmed to KSN&C that Governor Beshear has not had a change of heart since his earlier stated disappointments with the board and when asked if he plans to replace the four members said, "Yes, he does."

Education Secretary Helen Mountjoy apparently sees it differently.

There is some concern over the loss of experience to a board whose most experienced members will have served only four years. Given the complexity of the work the board is called to do, experience matters - even if it's not the only thing that matters.

Mountjoy told the Courier-Journal that the governor's office has been working on filling those seats -- which could include reappointments.

"We hope that those appointments will come through sooner than later," Mountjoy said, noting that there "certainly are some very challenging issues that need to be dealt with" by the board. Those issues include budget cuts; ongoing testing issues; developing more effective leadership in schools and finding the best interventions for chronically underperforming schools.

"The governor certainly wants to appoint highly qualified, highly committed people to the positions that are available on the state board…so we're going to take the time that is necessary to make sure that we have folks who both have the time and have the willingness to expend it on the issues surrounding elementary and secondary education," Mountjoy said.

Education advocates said yesterday that losing a veteran board member like Travis is troubling."(His) experience and historical knowledge will be missed on the board," said Bob Sexton, executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. "He was deeply committed to improving things for Kentucky kids."

Despite his merits, Travis had come under fire for his handling of the failed commissioner search involving Barbara Erwin and lost his leadership position as a result.

Commissioner Jon Draud told C-J that he is not "too concerned" about the loss of experience to the board and expressed confidence in Beshear to find dedicated replacements.

"I am sure he will appoint people who are interested and dedicated in helping us reach our proficiency goals by the year 2014," Draud said.

Current Board Chair Joe Brothers told C-J he hopes that Beshear will reappoint some of the members whose terms expire -- "to continue the progress we have made. …"

The four seats that expire April 14 are at-large seats that can be filled with people from any part of the state. Travis' seat must be filled with someone who lives in Western Kentucky.