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Perry County Board elects Berl Hurt chair, approves leadership and routine business
Summary
At a Jan. 21 meeting in Hazard, the Perry County Board of Education elected Berl Hurt as board chairman, completed leadership appointments including Johnny Feltner as vice chairman, appointed Dale Morris as legislative liaison, approved legal counsel and treasurer, and passed routine consent items including construction invoices and personnel actions.
The Perry County Board of Education met Jan. 21, 2025, at the Central Office Board Room in Hazard and completed its organizational business and routine approvals.
The board elected Berl Hurt as Board Chairman after a motion by Mr. Richard Miller and a second by Mr. Dale Morris; the minutes record the vote as 3–2 in favor (Richard Miller Yes; Johnny Feltner No; Berl Hurt Yes; Ryan Miller No; Dale Morris Yes). The transcript of the meeting also records a multi‑step process for the vice‑chair position: an initial nomination recorded in the minutes (spelled in the transcript as "Richy Miller") is noted as withdrawn in the text, and the final recorded action (Order #246) approved Johnny Feltner as Vice Chairman by a 3–2 vote (Richard Miller Yes; Johnny Feltner Yes; Berl Hurt No; Ryan Miller No; Dale Morris Yes). The minutes contain inconsistent wording around the earlier nomination; that inconsistency is noted in the board record.
The board unanimously (5–0) appointed Dale Morris as Legislative Liaison (motion by Mr. Richard Miller, second by Mr. Berl Hurt) and voted unanimously to retain Jonathan Shaw of Porter, Banks, Baldwin and Shaw as legal counsel (motion by Mr. Richard Miller, second by Mr. Ryan Miller).
Financial and administrative appointments included a unanimous vote (5–0) to approve Jody Maggard as Board Treasurer (motion by Mr. Johnny Feltner, second by Mr. Richard Miller) and a unanimous vote to approve Denise Pratt as Board secretary (Order #251). The minutes include a repeated or mislabelled line under Order #250 that references Jody Maggard and the treasurer position; the record later clearly shows Denise Pratt approved as secretary.
The board approved consent items (Order #252) unanimously. The consent agenda covered approval of minutes, the financial report, payroll and bills for the general fund and block grants, bus/building/fundraiser requests, the 2025 board meeting schedule, payment of construction invoices, creation of a district technology position, a stipend increase for board members, approval of a drama teacher position and personnel announcements.
The CFO presented a draft 2024–2025 budget for the board’s review and the superintendent delivered a mid‑year report and announcements. Construction updates and contract approvals remained on the agenda for action as applicable.
During the public comment period, unnamed members of the public raised concerns and questions about timelines for Buckhorn reconstruction, the future site at South Perry, and middle school athletic policy related to feeder schools and varsity sports; speakers were not identified in the meeting minutes.
The meeting adjourned following a unanimous motion to close (Order #253).
