By Sheila Ash and Rick HowlettThe Jefferson County Board of Education will soon begin a search for a new superintendent after voting 5-2 Monday night not to renew the contract of Dr. Sheldon Berman.Berman's contract runs through the end of June.Board Chairwoman Debbie Wesslund says the search process will begin at the board's next regular meeting on December 13."The first thing we need to do is get together with the board and with some community input about what we're looking for, setting goals, with some community input about setting goals and priorities so whoever applies knows what we expect of them. That's really, really important," she said.Wesslund says she expects Berman to help with the transition to new leadership.The vote to replace Berman came after a three-hour closed-door evaluation. Berman was not present for the open session vote. He later told the Courier-Journal that he was surprised and disappointed by the decision, but intends to finish his contract.Berman had previously received positive reviews from the board, but he has come under fire this year from parents following transporation problems at the start of classes in August, and for the low performance of some schools.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
