Senate President Wants to Abolish Jefferson County School Board

Senate President and Republican gubernatorial candidate David Williams has suggested abolishing the Jefferson County School Board. Williams made his comments Tuesday to the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.The school board is not diverse enough for the size of Jefferson County, said Williams. The influence of teacher’s unions, poor policy and poor test results within the county are reasons for change, he said.“They continue to raise taxes, they continue to misspend money and they continue to get bad results,” said Williams.Under his plan, the mayor would recommend the superintendent to the Metro Council, which would approve the appointment and act as the legislative body for Jefferson County schools.Steve Imhoff is the chair of the Jefferson County School Board. He said Williams’s interest is in his run for Governor.“That’s why he made those comments. He thinks he can pick up some extra votes in Jefferson County by making those comments,” Imhoff said.Williams said he has begun to draft legislation for the change. He previously proposed legislation that would effectively end the JCPS student assignment plan.With a budget of $1 billion dollars, JCPS is larger than Metro Government.