270 Daily · July 12, 2026
The short version: A new state law, House Bill 619, renames the presidents of Kentucky's 16 community and technical colleges "chancellors," expands the statewide governing board, and dissolves the local boards of directors that ran each college. In Paducah, that means West Kentucky Community and Technical College lost the local board that gave the region a formal vote over its own college.
The headline everywhere is the title. A president becomes a chancellor. That is the smallest thing in the law.
House Bill 619 rewired how Kentucky governs its community colleges. It grew the statewide Board of Regents to 17 members, one for each state Supreme Court district. It renamed the 16 college presidents. And it dissolved the individual boards of directors that sat at each college, West Kentucky Community and Technical College included, replacing them with regional advisory groups that have counsel but not control.
The word that changed is "chancellor." The thing that changed is who has the vote.
What the local board was, and what replaces it
For years, WKCTC had its own board of directors: local people, appointed to govern the region's college, meeting in Paducah. It was one of the few rooms where ordinary McCracken-area business and community members held a formal say over a major institution here. Under the new law, that board is gone, and its authority moves to Frankfort. A regional advisory group takes its place, but an advisory group advises. It does not decide.
By our count, the dissolved WKCTC board carried nine seats held by West Kentuckians. That is nine local votes, folded into a statewide board of seventeen.
The college marked the moment on May 14, when it honored its outgoing board of directors at what it called their final meeting.
What the college's leaders said
WKCTC did not fight it. Its president, Dr. Anton Reece, who becomes the college's chancellor under the new structure, put it plainly: "I welcome and support HB 619 and the ways it will help maximize efficiency across both WKCTC and KCTCS," adding that he looked forward "to working with the future advisory group as we continue important work at WKCTC."
The outgoing board chair struck a different note, grateful and a little rueful. "While we are saddened to see the Board of Directors dissolved, I firmly believe the Board has played an important role in building relationships throughout the region," he said.
Both things are true at once. The college gains a streamlined system. The region loses a table it used to sit at.
How the law moved
House Bill 619 was not close. The House passed it 93 to 1. After a conference committee, the Senate signed off 37 to nothing and the House 83 to nothing. The governor vetoed it on April 13. The next day, the legislature overrode him, and the whole 2026 session's laws take effect July 15.
Step | Result |
|---|---|
House passage (March 11) | 93 to 1 |
Conference report (Senate) | 37 to 0 |
Conference report (House) | 83 to 0 |
Governor's veto | April 13, 2026 |
Override | House 80-15, Senate 32-6 |
WKCTC board's final meeting | May 14, 2026 |
Quick questions
Is WKCTC changing its name or closing? No. The college is the same. What changed is its governance and its leader's title.
What can the new regional advisory group do? It advises the statewide board and the chancellor. It does not hold the governing vote the old local board did.
Who runs the college now? Dr. Anton Reece, as chancellor, under a 17-member statewide Board of Regents.
