LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Starting next school year, Jefferson County Public School buses will no longer transport children to all magnet and traditional schools except Central and Western High School. Both schools have a 75% threshold of students on free or reduced lunch.
On Wednesday, April 10, the Jefferson County Board of Education voted on a transportation plan for the next school year.
In a 4-3 vote, board members voted to cut transportation to all magnet and traditional schools except two schools.
“As time went by and really, all along, I’ve been searching for ways to increase the amount of, to increase the amount of kids who are getting access to magnets and so the fact that we can do Central, I’m supportive. The fact that we can do Western, I’m supportive. I wish we could do every school,” said JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio.
The board eventually voted on option two of the four options they were considering after nearly two hours of discussion.
Pollio also addressed calls for his resignation or dismissal made earlier on Wednesday by the Louisville chapter of the NAACP.
“You know, making tough decisions like this is not easy. I’m telling you, this has absolutely gutted me, absolutely gutted me for the past six or seven months on what to do and what is the right answer in this situation. And so, you know, I’ll say this again, I don’t know when it’s going to be for me, but when I leave, it’s when I decide to resign or this board decides to move on to somebody else,” Pollio said.
Throughout the meeting, several community members voiced concerns, calling to table the decision, saying it came too fast and without enough time for community input.
“The very fact that they called the meeting the way they did in an effort to keep us quiet, is evidence that they are not interested in what, the what the community has to say,” said F. Bruce Williams, senior pastor at Bates Memorial Church.
A few board members wanted to table the vote for a second time because of concerns the district’s student assignment plan wasn’t being taken into consideration.
Part of the vote that passed adds an addendum by Board Member Chris Kolb, asking the superintendent and his team to provide a full report of the district’s new transportation plan no later than Dec. 1.