“There is no replacing J.E. Jones,” said Brenda Hill, chair of the Whitley County Board of Education during last Tuesday’s special-called board meeting. It was a sentiment that was echoed by others on the board as well. However, by law, the board must move forward with the process of filling the vacancy left by Jones’ recent passing.
The board voted unanimously to begin that process during last week’s meeting, authorizing Superintendent John Siler to advertise the vacancy and solicit applications.
According to Kentucky statute, the board will be required to post a notice of the vacancy on the school district’s website and place an advertisement in the newspaper within the next 30 days. Any applicants seeking appointment for the vacancy must file a letter of intent with the board, who will then select a candidate to be appointed to the seat within two weeks of the advertisement.
The board has 60 days in total to fill the vacancy.
“Applications will be taken and then, at that point, the board will interview and decide who will fill that vacancy,” said Siler.
Jones was just reelected to his seat on the board in November, a race in which he ran unopposed. Jones was the third longest-sitting board member in the state, having been a member of the Whitley County Board of Education for right at 40 years at the time of his passing last month.
According to Tim Crawford, the board’s attorney, whoever the board chooses to appoint must run for the seat during the general election in November 2026 to retain their spot.
In other board of education business:
– Siler announced that the school district is planning to honor Jeremy Shope, head baseball coach at Whitley County High School, by naming the school’s baseball field after him. The field is currently undergoing a renovation of converting the field’s previous natural sod to artificial turf.
That project has been slightly delayed due to recent weather events, though Siler said that construction was expected to resume as normal this week. All the groundwork has been completed and the actual turf should now begin being installed. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the field should be ready by March 17.
Shope’s name will be on the field itself once the turf is in place.
“We’re really happy to do that,” said Siler.
A ceremony is being planned for March to honor Shope and celebrate the new field, according to Siler.
Additionally, the WCHS softball field is also in the process of being converted to turf. Siler said that work will hopefully be finished there in time for the start of the softball season, but contingencies have already been discussed in case the field is not ready in time.
– Work at four of the district’s elementary schools converting computer labs into STEM labs has been completed.
Oak Grove Elementary School, Pleasant View Elementary School, Whitley North Elementary School and Whitley County Intermediate School each now have completed, functioning STEM labs for students to utilize. Each lab features a number of new learning options for students, including 3D printers, iPads, dry-erase tabletops, coding equipment and more.
“Science, technology, engineering and math are the fastest growing job sector. It’s about opportunity, and we want to give our kids every opportunity,” said Siler.
Conversions are set to begin next fall at Boston Elementary School, Whitley East Elementary School and Whitley Central Primary School, according to Siler.
The work was performed by each school’s maintenance crews, who also built new shelving and teacher stations to go along with the added amenities.
