LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Jefferson County Public Schools board tabled discussions on proposed changes to the district’s transportation plan. The board met Tuesday night, March 26, to discuss potential steps after a school year filled with bus delays and driver shortages.

What You Need To Know

  • One of Jefferson County Public Schools' proposed transportation plans would eliminate transportation for nearly 16,000 magnet and traditional students to solve bus delays and driver shortages

  • Students and community advocates says cutting buses would heavily affect minority students and create more issues

  • McFerran Preparatory Academy Principal LaKeasha Jones says around 222 of their students miss the first 10 to 25 minutes of class every day

  • The next board meeting is April 16

Students, parents and community members line up for a chance to voice their feelings about the district’s proposed transportation plans. One of those plans would eliminate transportation for nearly 16,000 magnet and traditional students.

Central High School student Ava Williams says just like herself, many students rely on the buses and without them, she would no longer be able to attend that school.

“It will heavily affect the minority students that go here. A lot of the students won’t be able to go to Central, and especially because of the background and the history of Central, we should have been allowed because of our history and because of the minority students that it serves,” said Williams.

She says cutting the buses would only create more issues instead of solving it.

“My friends have expressed that they won’t be able to get to school even if they do remove the buses. If they incorporate the TARC passes, that won’t be helpful for students that live farther away. It might be helpful for students that live over here. But also, what about the middle schoolers and the elementary schoolers? What will they do? Are they expected to just get on the TARC bus and things like that?” said Williams.

Co-Chair for the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression K.A. Owens says busing is not optional but a necessity and supports student diversity.

“Busing allows all students to go to the schools that meet their needs. Neighborhood schools cannot meet the requirements of every student. If a student needs to earn a pilot’s license, then go to Shawnee High School. If a student is interested in automotive technology, the student goes to Southern High School. The same with the magnet schools,” said Owens.

McFerran Preparatory Academy Principal LaKeasha Jones says around 222 of her students miss the first 10 to 25 minutes of class each and every day. Jones says the district needs to put the needs of the students first to increase student achievement, so that every instructional minute counts

“We’re building a culture of high expectations for our students and staff. But with the unpredictability of transportation, it makes it difficult to include all students and to ensure we truly are providing the necessary learning opportunities for our students to have adequate access to high quality instruction each and every day,” said Jones.

The decision to table the decision to make changes came after the release of an audit that highlighted many issues with last year’s transportation plan.

“I hope people realize how important this is and how much of an issue that this is going to cause if they do go through with this. And I hope that the board members will make will listen to us, and I hope that what we’re doing here today actually makes a change,” said Williams.

Williams is hoping the school board will take into consideration the impact their vote will have on the current minority students in JCPS.

JCPS has tabled the discussion until the next board meeting on April 16.

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