UofL Gunwoman Facing Charges

Faculty Subdued Dana Kelly Thursday Afternoon

This from WLKY Video:

The woman subdued by University of Louisville faculty after displaying a gun during a meeting Thursday is now facing charges.

Dana Kelly is charged with first-degree felony wanton endangerment, second-degree misdemeanor disorderly conduct and misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon.

Kelly, 49, was handcuffed, escorted out of the School of Education building and taken to University Hospital after the incident.

Police said Kelly was in a meeting with faculty and staff when she became agitated, then pulled out a gun.

Kelly is being held on a $500,000 full cash bond.

This from C-J:

According to the arrest warrant, Kelly met with Amy Hirschy, an assistant professor of educational and counseling psychology, on Thursday and handed her a letter in a sealed envelope. Hirschy told police that after she took the letter, she looked up at Kelly and saw she was standing in the doorway, holding a handgun at her side.

The warrant said Kelly told Hirschy, “This is good-bye.”

Hirschy jumped up from her chair and pinned Kelly’s arms to her side in what she described as a “bear hug,” the warrant said. The two scuffled and ended up in the hallway, where Hirschy screamed for help and was assisted by four or five other faculty and staff. They disarmed Kelly and held her in a conference room until U of L police arrived.

U of L spokesman Mark Hebert said no one was hurt in the incident, and Kelly did not appear to have been a threat to students, faculty or staff.

Flash Poll #1: The results are in

The results of the first KSN&C Flash Poll are in. And what did we learn? Well, nothing really.

Disclaimer: Respondents were a subset of self-selected, opportunistic, non-random readers of Kentucky School News and Commentary who chose to offer an opinion. I'm not certain that visitors are limited by the program to one vote a piece. KSN&C visitors may not represent the average Kentuckian. (In fact, I have reason to believe they may be much more intelligent than the average human being.) This poll is so unscientific and insecure that the results shouldn't even be reported for fear that those who care about quality of research might run screaming from the room.

Fortunately for you, that's a risk I'm willing to take.

Drum roll please........

The question was:

"Who would you accept as the next Kentucky Education Commissioner?"

Respondents were invited to select more than one candidate. That allowed lots of wiggle room but was an attempt to allow for the possibility that more than one person might be both qualified and acceptable.

And the winner is...

None of them n=36 (53%)

Penny Sanders (OEA) n=14 (20%)

Roger Marcum (Marion) n=12 (17%)

Stu Silberman (Fayette) n=12 (17%)

Blake Heselton (Oldham) n=9 (13%)

Dale Brown (BG) n=5 (7%)

Leon Mooneyhan (Shelby) n=5 (7%)

Mitchell Chester (Ohio) n=5 (7%)

Linda France (KDE) n=3 (4%)

Fred Bassett (Beechwood) n=3 (4%)

Conclusions:

• Most people want somebody other than whoever you want.
• Most respondents prefer a candidate from outside Kentucky (or perhaps a Kentucky candidate who nobody's talking about and whose name did not make the list).
• Despite the first botched national search, most respondents seem to prefer risking another one rather than settling for the-devil-they-know.
• Among Kentucky candidates, Penny Sanders was acceptable to more respondents than other candidates....followed by Roger Marcum and Stu Silberman (who is not a candidate).

Commissioner Chatter

Stu said No. Roger says maybe.

Board members met Saturday for a special meeting and decided they wanted a Kentuckian for the Commissioner's job. Fayette County schools Superintendent Stu Silberman is not interested in becoming state education commissioner, but Marion County Superintendent Roger Marcum said he would strongly consider it.

...Marcum, who is president of the state's superintendent association, said he was contacted during the first search but wasn't sure if he wanted to take on the task. But after watching the controversy with Erwin unfold, he's rethinking his stance.

"It just reaffirms to me that we've got some folks in Kentucky that are very capable of providing that kind of leadership," Marcum said. "I hope this time we find the right person."

Marcum also heads the Council for Better Education, a group representing most of the state's 175 school districts, which sued the legislature in 2003 for failing to adequately fund Kentucky schools. In February, a Franklin Circuit Court judge sided with the legislature. The CBE originally asked the case to go to trial, but recently dropped the lawsuit.

In addition to Silberman, Marcum suggested Warren County Superintendent Dale Brown and Blake Haselton, executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, as noteworthy candidates.

This from the Herald-Leader.