All five Jefferson County Board of Education seats are on the ballot Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The races are nonpartisan. You vote only in the board district that covers your home address, and you choose one name on that district's ballot.

This page is a parent cheat sheet of what active candidates said about academics, budget, and safety in freely readable interviews and forum clips JCPS Insider opened. JCPS Insider does not endorse candidates. For the clerk roster and what the board controls, use our parent guide to the five district races and Who Is My JCPS Board Member?.

How do you use this guide?

Find your district first, then read only that section.

Enter your address in the clerk's Where Do I Vote / Sample Ballot tool. The Jefferson County School Board line should name one district and list only that district's candidates. JCPS Insider's board district finder walks through that lookup. Do not assume your child's school assignment zone matches your board election division.

No excuse early voting runs Thursday, October 29, through Saturday, October 31, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. The clerk lists sites on the In Person Voting page, including Fairgrounds walk in or drive thru. Election Day is November 3, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. Call the Election Center at 502 574 6100 with sample ballot questions.

How this page was built: answers below come from freely readable WLKY Commitment 2026 district interviews and free forum clips JCPS Insider opened on October 26, 2026. Courier Journal forum takeaway bodies for Districts 1 through 4 sat behind a paywall for JCPS Insider's tools that day; free Courier Journal ledes are cited only for who spoke or who skipped a forum, not for position detail. District 5 Courier Journal lines are from freely returned search excerpts only, not a full opened article. Several WDRB pages returned a homepage shell instead of article text. Where a candidate answered a WLKY interview or a freely readable forum clip, those answers are below with links to the free sources. Where someone did not answer, this page says so instead of guessing.

Gay P. Adelmann may still appear on some District 3 ballots; a circuit judge ordered her removed and votes for her will not be counted. TraShaun Spencer withdrew in District 5. Recheck your sample ballot.

District 1

Active candidates in clerk ballot order: Jody Hurt; Gail Logan Strange (incumbent).

Jody Hurt. No freely readable answers on academics, budget, or safety. Hurt did not respond to multiple WLKY interview requests. The Courier Journal's October 20 forum hub free summary also says he did not respond to that District 1 forum invitation.

Gail Logan Strange. In a WLKY District 1 interview published October 7, 2026, Strange said she wants every student reading on grade level and proficient in numeracy and literacy, and that she would focus on 41 schools federally designated for Comprehensive Support and Improvement. On budget, she described unfinished work to stabilize finances, compare central office and school staffing, and fix forecasts. She said raising taxes beyond the district's statutory limit is off the table for now while trust is rebuilt, and that consolidations could prove necessary with community input. At an August 18 Louisville Urban League forum covered by WDRB, she said the board needs budget to actual spending comparisons, spending and cash projections, and a cost versus benefit look at spending. Neither free clip JCPS Insider opened centered a standalone safety platform from her. The Courier Journal's October 20 forum hub free summary says she took part in its District 1 forum.

District 2

Active candidates in clerk ballot order: Tim Shaughnessy; Alante' J. Gaines; Robert Kahne; Lillian Brents; Phil Haming.

Answers below come from WLKY's District 2 interviews unless noted.

Tim Shaughnessy. Priorities: safe and orderly schools, student achievement, and the budget, which he called a "terrible mess." He pointed to large budget experience and working with both parties in Frankfort to avoid a state takeover solution parents would not like.

Alante' J. Gaines. No freely readable answers on academics, budget, or safety. Gaines did not answer WLKY's interview requests. The Courier Journal forum hub's free summary says Gaines also did not respond to its District 2 forum invitation.

Robert Kahne. Define success as a community, ensure student growth, and balance the pain of raising revenue against what cuts remove. No separate safety plan in the WLKY clip.

Lillian Brents. Top priority is supporting students through resources and services, and supporting teachers' collective bargaining rights. The interview does not quote a separate safety or line item budget plan.

Phil Haming. Academics: bring skilled trade programs into classrooms; a six figure path does not end at a liberal arts college door. Safety: tougher action on students who misbehave, threaten others, or bully, including removing them from the classroom. Budget: no detailed plan in the WLKY clip beyond that career pathway focus.

District 3

Active candidates whose votes will be counted, in clerk ballot order: Veda Pendleton; Taylor Everett (incumbent); Neil Seftor.

Answers from WLKY's District 3 interviews.

Veda Pendleton. Academics: running because of low proficiency; she cited 24% of elementary students and 22% of middle and high school students reading at proficient level, the official KSA proficient figures the district released in mid October 2026 (not proficient and distinguished combined). Budget: find where money was spent, cut waste, ask harder questions. Discipline: meaningful learning helps students self monitor; no separate security hardware plan in the clip.

Taylor Everett. Academics: stricter rules so students are not promoted or graduated when they cannot read on grade level. Budget: fill more than 100 teacher vacancies and other classified gaps; keep working the deficit; no tax increase ask until finances and academics improve, with everything else on the table. No separate safety platform in the WLKY clip.

Neil Seftor. Budget: cuts fell too hard on teachers and students instead of central office; more VanHoose bureaucracy can go; every option is on the table to exit the deficit, with a possible future tax rise only after fiscal responsibility shows. Academics: more intensive tutoring and more hiring of minority teachers. Discipline: more teacher support and training, more rehabilitative school responses, fewer outside referrals.

District 4

Active candidates in clerk ballot order: Kimberly Ann Vinegar; Michelle E. Patrick; Trevin Bass (incumbent); Deja B. Jackson.

Answers from WLKY's District 4 interviews.

Kimberly Ann Vinegar. Budget: "start all over" on the books, slow down, and review everything from scratch. No separate academics or safety platform in the clip.

Michelle E. Patrick. Top priority: improve student achievement by supporting teachers, including professional development and compensation. No separate budget line or safety plan in the clip.

Trevin Bass. Budget: seek more funding from major corporations (he named Brown Forman, the Kentucky Lottery, and the Kentucky Derby) to ease pressure on the community. No separate academics or safety platform in the clip.

Deja B. Jackson. Budget: other revenue streams and stronger state and city relationships so students have tools to thrive. No separate safety plan in the clip.

District 5

Active candidates in clerk ballot order: William E. Snawder; Kyle N. Killebrew; Carrie Donovan.

William E. Snawder. In a WLKY District 5 interview, he named academic outcomes and a balanced budget as top priorities, and said more can be done on central office size versus similar districts. Freely returned Courier Journal search excerpts from the September 16 District 5 forum (not a full opened article) quote him on city investment, youth activities, LMPD and community partnerships, multiple contract bids, and proof a service improves student outcomes.

Kyle N. Killebrew. WLKY: restore public faith through transparency and accurate numbers; some families have left Jefferson County over JCPS. CJ forum search excerpts: weapon detectors have schools "headed in the right direction"; broader gun violence needs good paying jobs and industry partners; contract talks need a clear goal because not everyone gets everything. No separate academics program in the WLKY clip.

Carrie Donovan. WLKY: safety is primary; "Policies on paper aren't enough," with a call for meaningful practices, transparency, and listening to people who live the policies. She said she left JCPS teaching after a severe injury breaking up a fight. CJ forum search excerpts: transportation safety is school safety; secure facilities, emergency procedures, adults who know students, mental health supports, behavioral intervention, and family partners; board job is governance, oversight, policy, budget, and accountability without micromanaging the superintendent. No separate curriculum plan in the WLKY clip.

What should you do next?

Confirm your district on a sample ballot, read only those names, and compare the answers above with what you hear from campaigns. Early voting is October 29 through 31; site lists stay on the clerk In Person Voting page. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern. JCPS students have no school that day. For election questions, call 502 574 6100.