NELSON COUNTY, Ky. — The Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE) interim commissioner has decided Wes Bradley will remain Nelson County Schools superintendent nearly a month after the district’s school board voted to remove him.
During a special meeting on March 4, the Nelson County Board of Education voted 4-1 to remove Bradley, who has served as Nelson County Schools superintendent since 2018, pending confirmation from KDE.
Board member Amanda Deaton listed six reasons for Bradley’s removal, including a neglect of duty and failure of leadership. Deaton claimed Bradley was also “engaging in conduct that has promoted division within the district and resulted in a majority of the board losing trust in him.”
On Friday, Interim Commissioner Robin Kinney said KDE has concluded its investigation and found the school board "did not provide competent and relevant evidence" to support any of the charges against Bradley.
KDE's investigation did acknowledge a "tremendous amount of dysfunction" and "unwillingness for meaningful and productive communication between the board and superintendent."
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The school board has now been ordered to take part in the department's management improvement program. The district will also undergo a management review in May.
That assessment will be based on a number of factors, including community perception and support.
"The Commissioner of Education shall determine whether [any] significant deficiencies indicate the presence of critically ineffective or inefficient management," KDE Associate Commissioner Kelly Foster wrote in a follow-up letter. "If it does, the Commissioner shall order a management audit."
In a statement to WHAS11, District 3 Board member Tracy Bowling said she "applauds" KDE's decision to keep Bradley:
"[I] look forward to engaging in constructive discussions aimed at finding resolution. Given the dedication of our teachers and leaders to the success of our students in NCS, it is essential that we unite with our community and families." she said. "While I have confidence in Superintendent Bradley’s leadership, establishing a collaborative partnership demands concerted effort from all stakeholders. I am committed to play my part in shaping a promising future for NCS.”
WHAS11 has reached out to the other school members, but have not heard back at this time.
Wes Bradley could also not be reached for comment at this time.
Bradley backed by educators
Critics of Bradley say the district’s education scores have suffered worse than surrounding counties.
Using a tool by the New York Times, WHAS11 compared state data of Nelson County Schools against nearby school districts and found Nelson County is about a year's worth of learning behind bordering counties.
Bradley has improved college and career readiness during his time as superintendent. A prior review, requested by KDE, found Bradley’s leadership led to a culture of belonging, but that didn’t translate to better learning.
That being said, in her decision to keep Bradley, Kinney says district test scores have improved since Spring 2022.
Bradley also has overwhelming support from educators within the district, particularly from principals.
"(Bradley) has, probably, brought one of the best visions to K-12 education that I've seen in my 30 plus years in K-12," former Nelson County school board member Damon Jackey said. "I'm happy to see that Wes is going to be able to continue that work."
The district's principals wrote letters in Bradley's support after the vote to remove him, saying they believe in his vision to “build world class programs, schools and educators within the district.”
“We believe that any decision to remove or terminate Superintendent Bradley would not be in good faith and would be a detriment to the progress and work currently being done by all Nelson County School educators to build a future that sets all students up for success,” they said in a joint statement.
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Jackey resigned from the school board this past fall.
"My thing was the much bigger piece of I had concerns over ethical misconduct by certain members of this board, possibly even illegal conduct," he said. "It's kind of uncharted territory. What, will any of this oversight, conversations, audit, any of that type of stuff mean? It's it's hard to tell."
Divided community
The decision to remove Bradley came after months of infighting between board members and push back from the community regarding a controversial decision to merge some of the district’s schools.
In 2021, the Nelson County school board—with the help of a Local Planning Committee made up of teachers, parents and county officials—approved a "Community Campus Plan" that would have added middle school wings on to high school campuses.
Nelson County Citizens Advocating Responsible Education (NCCARES), a nonprofit, formed later that year in opposition to the move, raising concerns over education quality in the district. Deaton was a founding member of NCCARES and left before running for District 4's seat on the board. Now, she is the board's chair.
However before Deaton became chair, a change-of-course was already underway.
A new board-proposed plan moved away from the LPC-approved plan and instead would consolidate the district's high schools: Nelson County High School and Thomas Nelson High School.
The district's principals signed a letter opposing the high school merger plan. And despite outcry from educators and parents, the board approved the merger which has since left the community divided.
Community protests after the merger voter caused the district to cancel several days of school.
"I just don't see this administration working with this board," former Nelson County school board member Bill Osborne said.
Osborne said he disagrees with KDE's decision to reinstate Bradley.
"Because now they're going to sit in Frankfort on their little ivory towers," he said. "And we're going to have two more years of chaos."
During a tense meeting on Feb. 8, Tracy Bowling, the only board member to vote against Bradley’s removal, said the community’s ongoing frustrations are rooted in a lack of communication from the board.
“This dialogue here, we can have all day long, but [the parents] want us to have it with them. That’s where there is this frustration,” she said. “If we’re gonna make decisions that impact our families and we’re not gonna have them at the table, you better be prepared for this every time.”
NCFORWARD, another nonprofit made up of parents, sued the board last September regarding the merger and accused board members of circumventing Kentucky's Open Meetings Law.
In court, the nonprofit's lawyer petitioned the specially-appointed judge to intervene and protect Bradley’s job, but both times, he was denied. However, the judge acknowledged that if the lawsuit finds the board violated Kentucky law, that could overturn the board’s decision even if the KDE's interim commissioner confirmed Bradley’s removal.
A trial is scheduled to begin in August.
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