Board names local planning committee members, starts random draw process and authorizes facilitator discussions

The Nelson County Board of Education on Feb. 25 advanced its facility planning process by confirming LPC school representatives via a publicly conducted random draw, appointing a board member and naming three community leaders to the Local Planning Committee, and authorizing the superintendent to pursue a neutral facilitator.

Statutory context: Superintendent Bradley told the board the LPC process is governed by 702 KAR 4:180 and that the district followed the regulation’s nomination and selection procedures, including local elections at participating schools and publicly advertised recruitment for community members.

Random draw and school seats: District staff described the random-draw process used when multiple nominees existed for school seats. Two audience volunteers assisted with the draw, which paired each remaining eligible school with a slot that had been randomly labeled as “teacher” or “parent.” The draw produced named teacher and parent representatives for the seven schools that required selection (Cox’s Creek and Boston had already identified representatives). District staff explained a special case: one nominee, Jeff Parrish, was nominated as a parent at more than one school; staff said the regulations require that one person cannot occupy multiple parent seats and they outlined how seats would be filled by process of elimination if a conflict occurred.

Board appointment and community members: Superintendent Bradley nominated a board representative (referred to in the meeting as Mr. Gilliland / “Jody”) for the LPC; the board seconded and approved that appointment by voice vote. The superintendent also recommended three community leaders — Rebecca Eisen, Tina Long and David Cook — to serve on the LPC. The board voted to accept those three community nominees.

Concerns and vetting: Board Chair Tracy Bolling said she interviewed the community applicants and disqualified some nominees who had potential conflicts, including one person involved in litigation against the district and a former board member, citing concerns about real or perceived conflicts of interest. Board members discussed the trade-off between appointing highly experienced community members and avoiding any real or perceived conflict that could invite legal challenge; the superintendent and board acknowledged past litigation over LPC seeding and said additional lawsuits were possible given prior history.

Facilitator authorization: The board voted to authorize Superintendent Bradley to explore contracting with a regional educational cooperative to provide a neutral facilitator for the LPC process. The superintendent said regional cooperatives can supply facilitators and that the regulation sets parameters for facilitator duties and allowable compensation. The board asked staff to report back with proposed facilitator options at a future work session.

Timeline and community engagement: The superintendent presented a timeline that moved initial LPC meetings and the KDE (Kentucky Department of Education) review forward by roughly one week; staff said LPC meetings would begin in March and that KDE review of a draft facility plan would follow. District staff also described the regulation’s minimum public engagement requirements: three public forums during LPC deliberations and one public hearing after a draft facility plan is approved. Board members discussed additional community surveys and local forums to gather priorities, and individual members committed to hosting community discussions in their districts.

Next steps: Staff will notify the selected LPC members, convene the LPC in March and return to the board with facilitator options and final dates for public engagement events.