Incumbent JCPS board member drops out of election
One less candidate is in the running for a seat on Jefferson County's Board of Education, with incumbent Chris Kolb dropping out of the race.
Kolb, who has represented the Highlands and its surrounding neighborhoods since 2017, had filed to run to maintain his seat by the June 4 deadline but, less than two weeks later, announced he will not run again.
Now, two candidates — Abby Berthold and Tricia Lister — will compete for the District 2 seat.
Kolb recently drew public criticism after he wrote an open letter to JCPS principals, criticizing them for their opposition to new start time proposals. In the aftermath, a petition calling for his resignation was started and multiple community members sent opinion letters about Kolb to The Courier Journal.
"How can any staff member feel safe in speaking their concerns in front of the board again?" one contributor asked after Kolb's letter.
In addition to serving on the board, Kolb taught anthropology and urban studies at Spalding University until recently and is now working as an independent consultant "to protect public education from privatizers and those with a radical political agenda," according to his district bio.
Who are the candidates for the District 2 school board seat?
Berthold is the founder of Liam & Hold, a consulting agency. She worked for JCPS as a math teacher for about 12 years, according to her resume, and has a master's in teacher leadership from the University of Louisville.
"While I certainly know I won’t be able to make everyone happy I’m excited to bring my passion for kids and my teaching experience to the board," she posted to Facebook. "As a former JCPS teacher I wouldn’t be living what I taught if I didn’t want to help become part of the change."
Lister has worked as an attorney since 2005 and is currently with the Complex Motions and Appeals Practice, according to her LinkedIn profile. She previously ran to be a Kentucky Court of Appeals judge in 2022, securing 41% of the vote.
"This past year has shown that we need people on the School Board who support equitable access to quality education for all," Lister posted to Facebook. "I am one of those people, so I decided it is time to step up and serve."
Other school board seats on the November ballot are:
District 1, which covers most of west Louisville and downtown
District 4, which covers most of southwest Louisville
District 7, which covers southeast Louisville
Contact Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Incumbent JCPS board member Chris Kolb drops out of election
