(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – The Kentucky Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 2:30 p.m. ET in the state board room, 1st floor Capital Plaza Tower, 500 Mero Street in Frankfort.

The purpose of the meeting is to consider hiring a candidate to be the next commissioner of education. Shortly after roll call, the board will go into closed session per KRS 61.810(1)(f) to review and discuss the in-depth background check on the finalist. Following that discussion, the board will come back into open session and is expected to consider a motion to authorize Kentucky Board of Education Chair Roger Marcum to make an offer of employment and negotiate the terms of employment for Kentucky’s next commissioner of education. The board plans to ratify the new commissioner’s contract at its Oct. 6 meeting, with the new commissioner starting later in the month.

The board has identified the finalist for the position as Stephen L. Pruitt. Pruitt is currently senior vice president at Achieve, Inc., an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization, where he has served since 2010. Pruitt’s prior experience includes chief of staff, associate state superintendent, director of academic standards, and science and mathematics program manager with the Georgia Department of Education; and high school chemistry teacher in Fayetteville and Tyrone, Ga. He earned a bachelor’s degree from North Georgia College and State University; a master’s from the University of West Georgia and a doctorate from Auburn University.

Wednesday’s special board meeting will be webcast, except for that portion that is conducted in closed session per KRS 61.810(1)(f). Information on how to access the webcast will be available on the Kentucky Department of Education’s homepage the day of the meeting.