Will Jay Box, president-elect of the Kentucky Community & Technical College System, be compensated at the same level as outgoing KCTCS president Michael McCall, whose salary and benefits added up to a hefty $669,463 last year?

There’s no way for taxpayers to know – at least not until the contract’s signed.

Who were the 40 candidates Box beat out for the job?  (Box currently holds the position of chancellor, the system's No. 2 spot.)

There’s no way for Kentuckians to know. Will we ever be given this answer?

It’s understandable that the KCTCS board doesn’t want to discuss these sensitive issues. But this is not a private corporation hiring a CEO. It’s a community and technical college system that receives public dollars and compensates its president at among the highest levels in the country – even as enrollment falls significantly.

Bluegrass Institute president Jim Waters tells the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting that the whole process – including compensation plans – demands more transparency and openness.