Ky. Education Commissioner finalist to become superintendent of Md. school district

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - Kentucky Education Commissioner Dr. Jason Glass appears to be seeking new employment.

Glass is one of four finalists to be superintendent of Baltimore County Schools.

In a statement to WKYT, Glass said:

“Serving as Commissioner in my home state of Kentucky has been an incredible professional honor and I am grateful to the Kentucky Board of Education for giving me this opportunity. Even in the hard times, I have loved every minute of it.

I am proud of the work we have done to prioritize meaningful student learning, innovation, and collaboration with communities. I am also grateful to work with the incredible people we have at the Kentucky Department of Education and all of Kentucky’s educators.

At this point in my career, I am seeking a place where our family can put down roots and where I can have a long-term and meaningful impact on an educational system. I look forward to the next steps in the process.”

News of Glass potentially leaving comes as Republicans have called for him to be removed from his position as commissioner. Including front-runners for the Republican nomination for governor, Daniel Cameron and Kelly Craft.

“I will help you in November by making sure Andy Beshear is retired from the governor’s office, and we remove jason glass as commissioner of the Department of Education,” said Daniel Cameron.

“There are great people in the Kentucky Department of Education; they’ve just been silenced. They’ve been silenced by this woke Commissioner Glass, and you know, what if he does the right thing on the day after the election? He’s gonna resign because if not on inauguration day, I’m gonna do the right thing and fire him,” said Kelly Craft.

Per Kentucky statute, the governor does not have the power to fire an education commissioner. The state Board of Education selects this position.

“It really feels like they just needed a boogie man, and they have made it, Dr. Glass,” said Kentucky 120 United AFT organizer Laura Hartke.

Hartke says the majority of Kentucky teachers are sad to potentially lose Glass as commissioner.

“I think we really want Dr. Glass to know we support him, and we thank him for the time that he gave us, and we wish him all the best,” said Hartke. “We’d love to keep him, but we understand that he’s gotta take care of him.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education told WKYT that statements made by various gubernatorial candidates had zero impact on the commissioner’s decision to seek other opportunities adding that he is seeking opportunities that are the right fit for his family.

Glass continues to serve as Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education unless he accepts another role. His current contract runs through September of next year.

The Baltimore County School District has 178 schools serving 111,000 students. The district is among the top 30 largest in the country.

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