Event Alert: BIPPS scholar debating charter schools tonight

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Bluegrass Institute Scholar and Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) member Gary Houchens will participate in a town hall on charter schools at 6 pm today in Room 110 at Madisonville Community College Muhlenberg Campus, 406 W. Everly Brothers Blvd., Central City.

The event is free and open to the public.

Houchens, Ph.D., is associate professor and coordinator of the School Principal Certification program in Western Kentucky University's Department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Research.

Tonight's event is hosted by the Muhlenberg County Democratic Party Executive Committee said the event will be nonpartisan and will be held "debate style" according to media liaison Stacie Barton.

Houchens will be joined by fellow KBE member Ben Cundiff, chairman of Jackson Financial Corp.; Gay Adelmann, member of Save Our Schools Kentucky; Ellen Yonts Suetholz, attorney at Kircher, Suetholz & Associates, PSC; and Dr. Susan Edington, assistant professor of early childhood and elementary education at Murray State University and former KBE member.

Each presenter will speak for about 15 minutes, and at the end, those in attendance will have the opportunity to ask questions.

"We are trying to do more outreach in education on topics that are in front of the legislation right now and affect our local area," Barton said. "It should be an interesting meeting and informative."

Three charter school bills were filed before this year's General Assembly deadline for introducing bills.

Find more about the Bluegrass Institute's analysis of what makes a strong and weak charter school bills here and here.

Houchens is a former social studies teacher, assistant principal and district administrator who has served in both public and private school settings.

He recently led a School Choice Solutions Roundtable for the Bluegrass Institute. Watch his presentation here.