To All Members of the Board of Education of Jefferson County, Kentucky:

The Chairman of the Board of Education is calling a special meeting of the Board of Education to be held on Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at 12:00 noon at the VanHoose Education Center, 3332 Newburg Road, Louisville, Kentucky.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the superintendent search, evaluate candidates and consider the next steps in the superintendent search process.

In addition, The Board of Education will discuss and consider an interim superintendent.

Any and all matters incidental to and supplementary of the foregoing may also be taken up, considered and acted upon in the meeting.

Portions of the meeting will be closed to the public as provided for under KRS 61.810 (1)(0 of the Open Meetings Act.


Stephen P. Imhoff, Chairman
Board of Education of Jefferson County, Kentucky

Chairman Stephen Imhoff called the June 1, 2011, special meeting of the Board of Education to order at approximately 12:08 p.m. and read the following statement:

“Good afternoon. Welcome to the VanHoose Education Center. I call this June 1, 2011, meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Education to order and ask for a motion to recess and reconvene in executive session to discuss the superintendent search, evaluate candidates, and consider the next steps in the superintendent search process. We will also consider an interim superintendent in accordance with KRS 61.810(1)(f). Do I have a motion to go into executive session?”

Order #95 - Motion Passed:  A recommendation to enter into Executive Session to discuss the superintendent search, evaluate candidates, consider the next steps in the superintendent search process, and discuss and consider an interim superintendent in accordance with KRS 61.810(1)(f) passed with a motion by Mrs. Carol Ann Haddad and a second by Mrs. Debbie Wesslund.

Board members returned to open session at approximately 3:53 p.m.

Chairman Stephen Imhoff announced that the Board of Education had met in Executive Session and no action was taken.

Board members returned to open session at approximately 3:53 p.m. and Chairman Imhoff made the following announcement: “Good afternoon. This Board today—on June 1, 2011—met in executive session to discuss two items—the search for a superintendent to replace Dr. Berman and an interim superintendent in case we need that interim for one or two months or so. And we want to discuss briefly and vote on two items. One is the—and the press will get a release on this; I’m not going to read the entire release for each of these items—but we discussed bringing two candidates—two candidates out of the original 28, then down to five, now two candidates—to come to Louisville next week—to invite to Louisville. And they have agreed to come to Louisville next week—one candidate on June 6 and 7; the other candidate on June 8 and 9—to meet the public. One of those candidates is Dr. Donna Hargens; the other candidate is Dr. Christine Johns-Haines. They will both come to Louisville as indicated. We feel—the Board feels that both of these candidates are a fit—they fit the leadership profile that we established when we began this process.

Briefly, Dr. Hargens served as Chief Academic Officer for Wake County Public Schools in North Carolina—a district of over 143,000 people. She has been in that position since actually January of this year. She has been in that district for a while. She has been Interim Superintendent in Wake County Public Schools for a time, and she has been Chief Academic Officer, and she has been Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.

Dr. Johns-Haines has served as superintendent and she is presently the superintendent for the Utica Community Schools in Michigan—just outside of Detroit—since 2006. That district has about 30,000 students. Prior to that, she has experience as Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland, which has approximately 108,000 students.

Dr. Johns-Haines will visit Louisville on Monday, June 6, and Tuesday, June 7. Her public meeting will be held on Monday, June 6. Dr. Hargen’s visit will be Wednesday, June 8, and Thursday, June 9. She will meet the public on Wednesday, June 8. Both of these meetings—these forums—will be at the Durrett Auditorium at Louisville Male High School on Preston Highway. Each will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Based on what I have just read and the fact that we would like to invite these two individuals to Louisville as the two finalists for the position of superintendent of the public schools, is there a motion to approve that?”

Order #96 - Motion Passed:  A recommendation to name Dr. Donna Hargens and Dr. Christine Johns-Haines as finalists for superintendent of the Jefferson County Public Schools passed with a motion by Mrs. Carol Ann Haddad and a second by Mr. Larry Hujo.

Chairman Stephen Imhoff: “Now we come to the other item of the interim superintendent. A couple of weeks ago we interviewed three individuals to be interim in case we need that and so that we have an interim in place for this transition. And there is discussion of hiring Dr. Freda Merriweather as interim superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. Dr. Merriweather will work with Superintendent Sheldon H. Berman and staff to facilitate a smooth transition in leadership. She will also assume duties as acting superintendent when Dr. Berman’s contract ends on June 30 until a successor is in place.

Briefly, Dr. Merriweather is a retired employee of Jefferson County Public Schools. She began her career in JCPS in 1984 as the principal at Sarah Price Elementary. She has had many other positions including her last position as a Cabinet member Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools supervising 88 elementary principals. She was a member of the Cabinet and also oversaw Title 1 federal programs and Early Childhood. Since then, she has been a professor at the University of Louisville. Is there a motion to enter into a contract to be worked out later with Dr. Freda Merriweather as interim superintendent?”

Is there a motion to enter into a contract to be worked out later with Dr. Freda Merriweather as interim superintendent?”

Order #97 - Motion Passed:  A recommendation to enter into a contract to be finalized later with Dr. Freda Merriweather as interim superintendent of the Jefferson County Public Schools passed with a motion by Ms. Diane Porter and a second by Mr. Joseph Hardesty.

A motion to adjourn the June 1, 2011, special meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Education

Order #98 - Motion Passed:  A motion to adjourn the June 1, 2011, special meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Education at approximately 4 p.m. passed with a motion by Mrs. Carol Ann Haddad and a second by Mrs. Linda Duncan.