Race for school board set

Two of the three open seats on the Shelby County School Board will be contested this November.

Brenda Jackson, who represents division 5, is the only member of the school board up for election who will be unopposed this election cycle.

Jackson, who has been on the board for 20 years, has not been opposed since the first year she was elected.

Incumbents Sam Hinkle and Allen H. Phillips will have to beat out some new candidates to retain their seats on the board.

Division 2

Sam Hinkle - Incumbent

Hinkle, who has been on the board for eight years, currently represents the southeast part of the county and parts of Shelbyville.

Hinkle, who graduated from Yale Law School, is a lawyer in Louisville.

He has had four children graduate from Shelby County High School.

Hinkle said he wanted to run for another term in order to continue making a difference in the lives of children.

He said his experiences on the board and having his children go through the school system help qualify him for the position.

Lee Muncy

Muncy is a customer resources manager for the Kentucky Department of Education. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in political science and public administration from the University of Louisville.

Muncy has two children who attend Wright Elementary School and another who will start kindergarten next year.

He has lived in the community for three years.

Muncy believes his education and experiences with KDE will help enhance the quality of local education if he is elected to the board.

"We are going to ramp up certain things in order to reach proficiency by 2014," he said. "I want to make sure that (our students) have the best education that could be offered to them."

In the past, Muncy has volunteered with Citizen Corps and adult education at UofL.

Karen Sams

Sams is a 1977 graduate of Shelbyville High School. She is a full-time student at the Jefferson County College Shelby County Campus and works at the Wound Healing Center at Jewish Hospital Shelbyville.

In the past, Sams has been on the Site-Based Decision-Making council at Northside Elementary and West Middle Schools.

She has had one child graduate from SCHS graduated and has another who is a senior there this year.

She said education is vitally important to local students.

"There is nothing more important that our children, they are our future," she said.

Sams said she follows the board's actions closely and is familiar with the system and the state's statutes and laws that govern school boards.

Sams said she is eager to help the district address its current academic challenges.

Division 3

Allen H. Phillips - incumbent

Phillips, who has been on the board 20 years, currently represents the southeast part of the county.

He decided to run for reelection in order to add stability as the district goes through a time of transition.

"With a new superintendent, a bunch of new principals and teachers, and three schools set to be built, it might help to have somebody (on the board) who has been around," he said.

Phillips, a dairy farmer, said his main reason for running again was the kids.

"It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it," he said. "My love for kids, I reckon, is what keeps me there."

Kathy Chadwell

Chadwell has a child at Clear Creek Elementary School and another who will begin there in three years.

She received a medical assistant's degree from Spencerian College in Louisville and she is currently studying at JCC Shelby County campus to receive her RN certification.

Chadwell, a stay-at-home mom, has been a part of the PTA at Clear Creek and is a co-leader of a Girl Scouts troop.

Chadwell has lived in the community for 2 years.

She initially began thinking about putting her name in the hat in order to be a part of her children's education.

"What better way to get involved in my child's education than to get involved in the school system," she said.

Chadwell said she wants to encourage local students to do well in the classroom and further their education after they have graduated.

"You have to have higher education if you want to accomplish anything these days," she said.