Glass found himself thrust into the political limelight this election season as the GOP-led legislature put issues like sex ed, bathrooms, pronouns, and healthcare for transgender minors on the agenda in Frankfort.
Appointed by the Kentucky Department of Education in 2020, Glass led the state’s education system through a host of new challenges, from the pandemic to polarizing cultural debates. But it was Glass’s strong opposition to sweeping legislation dubbed “anti-trans” that raised his profile during the primaries this year.
"Jason Glass needs to find another job," the Republican said on KET. "As the next governor of the commonwealth of Kentucky, I will make sure to work with our legislature to appoint new board members to the board of education that reflect our values, that are more concerned about reading, writing, math, as opposed to schools being incubators for progressive ideas."
Glass was adamant in his stance against the controversial legislation, calling it “ignorant” and “shameful.”
The commissioner suggested that teachers who couldn’t follow district rules surrounding the use of students’ preferred pronouns or other policies should potentially seek other employment.
"I stand behind that statement," he said. "If a teacher cannot execute the policies of the district, if they can't execute the laws in the state or in our nation, then they do need to find something else to do."
Now, Glass – who was a finalist for an out-of-state job in May – is moving on to become assistant vice president of teaching and learning at Western Michigan University. While he’ll leave the Kentucky post on September 29, his name is sure to be invoked in the campaign for governor in the months ahead.
