Public Education Board authorizes offer to Kathy Kinchelow for director of planning

The Public Education Board voted to authorize making an offer to Kathy Kinchelow for the position of director of planning at its meeting. The chair announced the motion passed by a voice vote, with five members saying “I” and no members opposed.

The motion—described by the chair as coming from closed session—was moved and seconded on the floor and then called to a vote. The chair counted the affirmative responses and declared the motion passed; the transcript records a 5-0 tally but does not record a roll-call list of individual votes by name.

The board said it will make an offer to Kinchelow; the chair added that if she declines the board would need to hold a special meeting and repeat the process. The chair also thanked McCall and the executive committee for their work on the director search and thanked Jeff Plumb from state HR for his assistance in guiding the effort.

During the public-comment portion immediately after the vote, Kathy Kinchelow addressed the board. She thanked members for their confidence and said she was “very thrilled to, potentially fill this position.” Kinchelow emphasized the board’s oversight role, saying that "the oversight ... will determine the success of the law, of the movement, of what we're doing for kids and families." She closed by saying she looks forward to getting started.

The chair closed the meeting by asking for any final business, noting the board expects to reconvene no later than June 17, and then adjourned the session.

Notes on the record: the meeting transcript uses a single speaker label for both the member who made the motion and for the public commenter who identified herself as Kathy Kinchelow; the transcript does not clearly show whether the mover and the candidate are the same person. The transcript also does not provide a dated roll-call of individual votes; the published meeting minutes should be consulted for official mover/second names and any formal vote roll call.