FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) has selected Robin Kinney as interim state commissioner of education.
Kinney will assume her new role on Sept. 30, one day after outgoing Education Commissioner Jason Glass steps down, according to the board.
Kinney is an associate commissioner overseeing the Office of Finance and Operations for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). She has been with KDE for several years and has previously served as interim commissioner for a short period in December of 2019 when former Commissioner Wayne Lewis stepped down.
"The board is confident in Robin’s dedication to public education and her experience in KDE," KBE Chair Sharon Porter Robinson said. "We appreciate her willingness to take on this important role, and we look forward to her leadership as we continue our mission to provide the best education for Kentucky's students."
Her annual salary was set at $260,000 and she will not be eligible to become the permanent education commissioner.
Kinney said she is honored to take on the role and looks forward to working alongside KDE to support the state's schools.
"My goal will be to make sure the initiatives of the board and the agency continue on through this transitional period," she added.
Glass announced he was leaving on July 31, 2023. He pointed to what he calls a dangerous effort by state politicians to inject "hyper-partisan" politics into public education policy.
He refused to be apart of implementing Senate Bill 150 which was passed by Kentucky's GOP-dominated legislature in March. Glass was also against a state requirement where the education commissioner must now be confirmed by the Senate post-appointment by the KBE.
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