Letcher County board OKs $7,000 KSBA search agreement, sets superintendent hiring timeline

The Letcher County Board of Education voted April 2 to hire the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) to run its superintendent search, approving a $7,000 agreement plus mileage and setting a draft timeline for recruitment and screening.

KSBA representative Tim Eaten told the board the objective is to have a new superintendent under contract by July 1, 2026, and recommended a 30‑day advertisement period. "Your objective is to hire a superintendent for a new contract by July 1 of 2026," Eaten said, and explained KSBA will publish the vacancy on its portal and provide all recruitment logistics.

Board members reviewed the draft advertisement and agreed to strengthen qualification language after a member proposed replacing the word "should" with "must" in the paragraph describing desirable traits. A board member said the ad should read that "the candidate must possess strong morals and ethics," and members concurred.

Eaten outlined screening committee composition required by statute: six members including one board appointee, one head principal elected by principals (not an assistant principal), two teachers elected via KA processes, and parent representatives (selected via PTOs where those exist). He said minority representation on the committee is required only if the district meets the statutory threshold.

The board negotiated the draft schedule presented by KSBA and agreed to a 30‑day recruitment window with applications closing in early May if the ad runs for 30 days. The board shifted the tentative joint meeting and screening dates: the joint board/screening meeting moved from May 11 to May 14, the first screening committee meeting to May 20, and a later committee/board meeting to June 11 to accommodate members' schedules.

Eaten described the online application packet (resume, cover letter, references, background information and seven open‑ended questions) and said screening committee members will receive secure links and passwords to review applicants. He advised the board that screening committee meetings are public but that personnel records and certain proceedings are governed by Kentucky statutes and that KSBA typically discourages releasing the names of unsuccessful candidates.

After discussion the board moved and seconded the superintendent search agreement, stating the contract amount as $7,000 plus mileage; the motion carried on a voice vote. The board closed the meeting by approving adjournment.

The next procedural steps are for KSBA to finalize the advertisement language and publish the vacancy, for the board to appoint the screening committee members as required, and for KSBA to assemble application materials for committee review.