There was little suspense and even less surprise. As expected, the Kentucky Board of Education selected northern Kentucky Republican legislator Jon Draud as Education Commissioner at a special called meeting Sunday afternoon.

Draud, 69, of Edgewood was one of four finalists interviewed by the board after Gov.-elect Steve Beshear on Nov. 9 asked the board to extend and expand its search.

“I think I’ll have a great working relationship with Gov. Beshear,” Draud said after board chairman Joe Brothers announced he was the choice. “He and I have the same goals – we want to do the best we can for the education of the kids of this state.”

Beshear’s spokeswoman said, “Top-notch education for the youth of Kentucky is a top priority of Gov.-elect Beshear. He looks forward to working with Mr. Draud to obtain Kentucky’s education goals.”

Draud, a former Superintendent of Ludlow Independent Schools, said the terms of his contract haven’t been worked out – there was no word on his pay or the length of that contract. Nor could he say definitively when he would assume his new duties. The Republican member of the House of Representatives, representing the 63rd District in northern Kentucky, will resign that seat and said he had to work out some of those details before doing so.

Brothers said the board will meet with Draud to finalize details of his contract and would like to see him begin his new job as soon as possible.

This was the second try for the state board. Dr. Gene Wilhoit resigned nearly a year ago to take a position in Washington, D.C. The board hired Dr. Barbara Erwin from St. Charles, Ill., earlier this year but she abruptly declined the job before she assumed her duties after being dogged by media reports about discrepancies on her resume and tumultuous working relationships in previous assignments.

The board then embarked on a second search, this time without the aid of a professional search firm. And it made clear it preferred candidates from Kentucky, although Brothers repeatedly said the board would not exclude others from out of state. But in the end, all four finalists were from Kentucky, working here now or with ties to the state.

The other three were Richard Hughes, a professor at Morehead State University and former superintendent of the Hardin County school district; Larry Vick, superintendent of the Owensboro Independent school district; and Jim Warford, executive director/CEO of the Florida Association of School Administrators and a former chancellor for Florida’s public schools. Warford is a Kentucky native and graduate of Western Kentucky University.

Beshear met with the board only three days after the election to urge it to hire a professional search firm and conduct a nationwide search for a new commissioner. But the board decided to proceed with the process it had chosen and to interview the four finalists, publicly disclosed before the Nov. 6 election.

“We didn’t choose him because he’s from Kentucky,” Brothers said. “We chose him because he’s the best applicant, and I’m proud the best candidate was from Kentucky.”

Brothers said Draud’s candidacy was endorsed by the presidents of the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Eastern Kentucky University, Northern Kentucky University, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System as well as the Kentucky School Boards Association.

“Every major stakeholder in the state has said they think I can help move us to proficiency,” Draud said, referring to the goal of all schools meeting academic proficiency by 2014. Presently as many as half appear on track to fall short of that goal 17 years after passage of the Kentucky Education Reform Act, underscoring the challenge before Draud and the board.

“I really think I am the right fit at the right time for this position,” Draud said.

He said he approaches the job with a “sense of urgency,” knowing the dwindling time to reach proficiency and said he expects to work cooperatively and collaboratively with educators and lawmakers.

He said he has strong working relationships with such key legislators as Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, Sen. Charlie Borders, R-Grayson, who chair the two Appropriations and Revenue Committees, and Rep. Frank Rasche, D-Paducah, and Sen. Ken Winters, R-Murray, who chair the two education committees.

“I feel very good about having support from the General Assembly,” Draud said.



RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.



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