FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Board of Education has named Lawrence County Schools Superintendent Robbie Fletcher as the next state commissioner of education.?

The announcement was made during a special meeting of the board Thursday afternoon.?

However, Fletcher still must be confirmed by the Senate, according to a new law passed last year. Pending his confirmation, he has a start date of July 1 and will receive an annual salary of $265,000. The Kentucky Lantern obtained Fletcher’s contract with the board via an open records request.?

The other finalists were Eminence Independent Schools Superintendent Buddy Berry and Kentucky Association of School Superintendents Executive Director Jim Flynn. Before announcing three finalists for the position, the board received 15 applications. The board’s decision was unanimous.?

Fletcher said during the board meeting that he will do his best to honor the trust given to schools by students’ parents and guardians.

?“I sincerely believe there is no greater compliment, no greater honor, no greater responsibility than when a parent or guardian allows another person to be a part of their child’s life,” he said. “When a child sits on one of our buses, or walks through the doorway of one of our schools, a parent or guardian is saying, ‘I trust you with my greatest accomplishment as a person.'”?

Fletcher has been the superintendent of Lawrence County Schools since 2014. Before that, he was a part-time faculty member at Asbury University and a principal, assistant principal and mathematics teacher in Martin County. Fletcher earned a doctorate in education and a superintendency certification from Morehead State University, a master’s in supervision and administration from the University of Kentucky, and a bachelor’s in mathematics from Morehead State University.

Former Education Commissioner Jason Glass left the role in September amid tensions with Republicans in Frankfort. At the time, Glass, who is now at Western Michigan University, said he did not want to be part of implementing a controversial anti-transgender law that limited how schools can teach about human sexuality and gender identity and freed adult staff to misgender students.

Robin Fields Kinney, who was an associate commissioner of the Office of Finance and Operation within KDE, has been serving as the interim education commissioner.?

In the current legislative session, Republicans in Frankfort are looking to have more oversight of the Kentucky Department of Education and the state education board. The Senate has passed a bill creating partisan elections for Kentucky Board of Education members. The House has approved a special audit of KDE, which includes reviewing “diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” “academic standards,” “state board oversight of the commissioner of education” and more.??

After Glass’ departure, the governor said it would be “much more challenging” to find a new education commissioner this time around.?

KBE Chair Sharon Porter Robinson congratulated Fletcher and said the board is ready to support his Senate confirmation after making a selection “with great confidence after great due diligence.” After Thursday, there are seven days left in the General Assembly’s legislative calendar.

“After thoughtful consideration of the feedback collected from numerous Kentucky stakeholders and the priorities of the KBE, we saw a leader who embodies the qualities of an ambassador, states person, an expert instructional leader, a strong organizational leader and a visionary innovator,” she said of Fletcher. “We are confident that Dr. Fletcher meets these requirements, and we are excited about the future of education in the Commonwealth under his leadership.”

Senate Republican Whip Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, said in a statement that Glass was “focused far more on his personal political views than he did educational outcomes” and that should “not be the case moving forward.”

Wilson, who is the sponsor of the bill to create partisan elections for the state school board, said he was “encouraged by the initial reports” about Fletcher.?

“Robbie Fletcher is from right here in Kentucky and is very familiar with the needs of students across the commonwealth,” Wilson said. “I and the rest of the legislature hope to meet him soon and, if confirmed, to work with him and the rest of the KDE on improving Kentucky’s educational achievements to secure a vibrant and working Kentucky future.”

The board approved McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, as the firm to conduct the search in December. It also chose Fletcher as its preferred candidate in a Tuesday meeting, but he was not publicly named at the time due to contract negotiations.

Kentucky’s education commissioner is the chief state school officer and chief executive officer for KDE.?The commissioner recommends and implements KBE policies while also directing KDE in the management of the state’s 171 public school districts, the Kentucky School for the Deaf, Kentucky School for the Blind and the 50 state operated area technology centers.

Fletcher’s contract