The Christian County Board of Education is accepting applications for an open board seat following the resignation of Mike Walker, the District 4 representative on the board.
During a special-called, virtual meeting Monday of the four remaining board members, district attorney Jack Lackey outlined the process for replacing a member who leaves before completing their elected term in office.
State law gives a local school board 60 days to vote on an appointment following the board’s acceptance of a resignation. At least three of the four board members will have to agree on an appointment. If enough members cannot agree on a replacement, or if no action is taken by the board within 60 days, the state education commissioner steps in to decide.
The person selected to fill Walker’s vacancy will serve until the November 2023 general election, when the nonpartisan position will be on the ballot.
Board chairman Tom Bell told Hoptown Chronicle that it could be around Christmas or the New Year before the board could make its decision. The opening must be advertised for two weeks before the board convenes to consider applicants and vote on a new member.
Depending on the number of people who apply, it could take several days to review the applications — and possibly bring in candidates for closed session interviews with the school board.
“We might call some applicants in, but that’s not required,” Bell said in a phone interview.
The Kentucky Open Meetings Law allows public agency boards to meet in closed session for discussion that could lead to the appointment of a member. However, they must vote in open session — a process that Lackey detailed during Monday’s meeting.
Walker’s resignation
Walker told Hoptown Chronicle that he stepped down because he felt he and the other board members were “never on the same page.” He said he had no hard feelings about the board.
“I just was concerned that I was on the wrong side of about every important vote and just thought it was a good time to step aside,” he said.
Walker had filed to run as a Republican for fiscal court magistrate, but he withdrew from consideration after Russ Guffey (the eventual winner) entered the race. At that time, Walker said he had decided to focus on his school board duties.
Walker has opposed consolidating Hopkinsville and Christian County high schools into one new school that would be named Hopkinsville Christian County Academy. The consolidation was approved by a 3-to-2 vote in August 2021. Walker and board member Lindsey Clark voted against consolidation. Voting in favor were Bell, Tiffany Mumford Brame and Jeff Moore.
However, last summer the bids to construct the consolidated school on a site at Fort Campbell Boulevard and Lovers Lane — one for roughly $204 million from D.W. Wilburn Inc. in Lexington, and one for nearly $199 million from A&K Construction in Paducah — came in significantly higher than the district’s projection of $115 million.
Eligibility requirements
According to information posted on the school district’s website, an applicant for school board must be at least 24 years old and must have lived in Kentucky for at least three years. They must be registered to vote in District 4, which includes a portion of the south side of Hopkinsville and extends south across Oak Grove, Herndon and LaFayette. An applicant must have a high school diploma or a GED certificate.
A five-page application form seeks information about the candidate’s education and work history.
In addition, there are three open-ended questions posed to applicants:
- Please describe why you are interested in serving on the local Board of Education.
- Please describe the benefits that you believe strong public schools bring to a community.
- Please describe one (1) goal or objective that you think the local Board of Education should seek to complete during your service on the Board.
Bell said Thursday that the district has already received a few applications, indicating strong interest in the position.
“I think there are a lot of good candidates out there,” he said.
At least one candidate is actively pursuing the District 4 school board seat. Caleb Ballard, an opponent of a consolidated high school who is a frequent social media commenter on government affairs in Hopkinsville and Christian County, created a Facebook page to highlight his interest in serving on school board. He is asking supporters to contact current board members on his behalf.
‘A demanding job’
Serving on a school board is among the more demanding local elected offices in Kentucky, while the financial compensation is considerably less than other offices. School board members earn $150 per meeting. They are responsible for hiring and evaluating the superintendent, setting tax rates, establishing district policies and overseeing the budget.
“It is a demanding job,” said Bell, who is self-employed as an insurance office owner. “It will beat you down if you don’t remember why you are there and who you are serving.” Bell said he focuses on serving “every child.”
Board meetings twice a month are just the start of the obligation that school board members sign up for when they take office.
Bell estimated he spends 60 hours a month on school board duties, including attendance at school functions, sporting events, banquets, committee meetings and workshops.
School board members are elected to serve a four-year term. The person appointed to the school board will have the option of running for the seat in November 2023 to complete Walker’s term, which concludes at the end of 2024.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
