LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Jefferson County Public School Board of Education member dropped out of his race for re-election.
Board member Chris Kolb -- who represents the Highlands, St. Matthews and surrounding areas -- told WHAS11 News he made the decision after the teacher's union decided not to endorse anyone in the race.
"This will be my last six months on the board," he said. "There is literally nothing else I could have done to support teachers and the union so if that’s not enough I’m just not the guy for this job anymore."
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Kolb, a 1994 graduate of Atherton High School, has held the position since 2017.
In 2021, he voluntarily stepped down as the school board’s vice-chair after a heated Twitter exchange with State Senator Whitney Westerfield over Gov. Andy Beshear’s mask mandate for all K-12 schools, preschools, and childcare centers.
Then in an open letter he wrote in early May, Kolb criticized principals who were against the district's new start times, despite voting against them.
Of the four school district seats up for election this year, only one current member, Gail Logan Strange of District 1, is running for re-election.
Board members Linda Duncan, Corrie Shull and James Craig aren’t up for reelection until 2027.
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