The Jefferson County Board of Education has chosen H. Brian Yearwood to be the district's next superintendent and authorized contract negotiations to begin.

Yearwood, a native of Trinidad and Tobago and former superintendent of Columbia Public Schools in Missouri, would replace outgoing Superintendent Marty Pollio, who has led JCPS for the past eight years and retires June 30.

School board members voted May 22 to allow contract negotiations to begin with Yearwood, though they did not immediately disclose his name.

The Courier Journal confirmed Yearwood was selected through a source familiar with the process. Later on May 23, board chair Corrie Shull announced Yearwood was offered a contract.

”Through the interview process, Dr. Yearwood impressed us with his obvious commitment to students,” Shull said in a prepared statement.

When reached before the announcement, Yearwood said, “I have not received official confirmation yet, so let me make some calls and see what’s happening. I just don’t want to speak before I know exactly what’s going on.”

If a contract is executed, Yearwood will become the district's first Black superintendent, though JCPS has had at least two interim superintendents who were Black.

"Yearwood's experience and vision bring fresh energy to our district, and we look forward to collaborating closely to build on our strengths, address challenges, and ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive," Shull said.

Of the seven board members, two — Linda Duncan and Taylor Everett — did not vote in favor of starting the negotiating process with the unnamed finalist.

"We're all seven individuals, and we did not all feel the same way," Everett said after the vote, indicating the constituents in his district were in favor of the other finalist, Ben Shuldiner.

But, he said, his vote doesn't indicate that Yearwood, whom he did not name, "cannot do the job." He added it is evident that Yearwood clearly cares for children.

Duncan did not respond to The Courier Journal when asked to discuss her reasons for voting against starting contract negotiations with Yearwood.

Who is Brian Yearwood?

Yearwood's career spans nearly 35 years, during which he worked his way up the ranks in several Texas school districts, serving in various roles in Lubbock, Lamesa, Wharton and Manor. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership, a master's degree in educational administration and a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University.

In 2021, Yearwood was hired as superintendent of the Columbia district, which serves about 19,000 students. Under his leadership, state assessment scores jumped from 70.1% to 86.5% in one year.

During a recent community forum, Yearwood said if hired, improving academic achievement would be his first priority. To do this, he said he would focus on professional development for teachers, including training on data disaggregation and embedding standards within curriculum.

JCPS' scores on state assessments are below the state average, and "we have to make that average our floor, not our ceiling," he said.

The conditions surrounding Yearwood's departure from his previous district caused concerns for some in the Louisville community.

In February 2024, the Columbia school district voted to extend Yearwood's contract through 2027. But about nine months later, a mutually agreed-upon release from the district announced Yearwood's near-immediate retirement. He signed a nondisclosure agreement with the district and was provided a severance of about $667,000. Since, he has applied for at least four superintendent jobs, including JCPS, throughout the country.

Some took this as proof of wrongdoing, though JCPS board chair Corrie Shull disagreed , as did two community members from Columbia who follow the district closely.

The severance wouldn't have been necessary because "if they had anything on Dr. Yearwood, there's always a fire for cause in the contract," said Ken Rice, an entrepreneur in Columbia who ran for the district's board due to the handling of Yearwood's departure. "What that says, to me, is that they wanted him gone for whatever reason, and that doesn't mean he was doing a bad job."

Kumar Rashad, a JCPS teacher and vice president of the district's union, also defended Yearwood and voiced his support for his hire after listening to his presentation during a community forum on May 20.

"As a black man I don’t get caught up in why he left his last district," Rashad wrote in a post on his personal Facebook page. "I cannot assume they treated him fairly or he did anything wrong (because) I know that if I left this district JCPS owes me for the many years of discrimination they aimed at me."

Rashad also expressed his view that Yearwood demonstrated a "stronger stance on protecting kids of color."

Despite Rashad's personal support, Yearwood was not the preferred candidate among union members who responded to an internal survey by the Jefferson County Teachers' Association.

Survey results, obtained by The Courier Journal and confirmed by JCTA President Maddie Shepard, showed of the 729 responses, 63% ranked Shuldiner as their top pick, followed by 28% for ‘other,’ and 9% for Yearwood. The response rate — which had a 24-hour limit — represents about 15% of the union's membership.

"I, as the representative of teachers will work to support the next superintendent because that's what our kids and this city deserves," Shepard wrote via text to The Courier Journal. "I will also have to work to create the conditions for more collaboration between employees and the school board because teachers are feeling ignored."

When asked if teachers feel ignored because the board chose a candidate they overwhelmingly didn't support, Shepard said, "Yes that would be accurate."

Feedback from attendees at the May 20 community forums also showed Shuldiner was the favored candidate.

When asked to rank the men as visionary and proven leaders for academic improvement, Shuldiner received a three or four rating by 88% of respondents, compared to 44% for Yearwood. A four rating indicated respondents felt the candidate had extensive experience in an area, while a one rating indicated they felt the candidate had no experience.

The gap in ratings persisted in all other survey questions, as well, which considered how the men communicated, showed support for equity, showed support for educators and showed an understanding of operations.

State Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, named Yearwood as the superintendent choice in a post on social media early May 23, saying he had reached out to Yearwood to offer his "friendship and support."

Nemes said he and others "will have a lot of questions and support is not blind, but, for the sake of our kids, my fervent hope is that our new superintendent leads us to improve JCPS."

This story will be updated.

Krista Johnson covers education and children. Have story ideas or questions? Contact her at and subscribe to her newsletter here .