LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The impact from the decision by the Jefferson County Public Schools board continues to affect families. The school district cut bus routes to almost all traditional and magnet school students.

What You Need To Know

  • The school district cut bus routes to almost all traditional and magnet school students

  • Some parents are now finding themselves making tough decisions
  • The start of the next school year just four months away

  • There’s a regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting Tuesday, April 16 at 6 p.m.

Some parents now find themselves making tough decisions with the start of the next school year, just four months away. 

As the compounding transportation problem grows, Zack Evans can’t help but feel disappointed.

“It feels like the kids are an afterthought and I hate that. That’s how it feels,” Evans said. 

His 9-year-old son attends Brandeis Elementary, a magnet school that’s about a 25 to 30-minute drive from his home.

“Of course, the bus situation this year hasn’t been great, but having no bus option is worse,” Evans said.

So now, his choices are limited.

“The option is driving him every day to and from or transfer schools. We don’t want to transfer schools. We’re definitely not moving. So is JCPS going to start paying for gas money, like what are we doing?” Evans said.

With the start of the next school year just months away in August, he’s deliberating between his wants and practicality.

“This is expensive. It’s hard to schedule around. It makes parents feel like we aren’t being heard or cared for,” Evans said.

First Vice-President of the Louisville Branch NAACP Raymond Burse said they’re disappointed. So now they’re looking to decide their next course of action.

“Number one, is, is you want to affect policy, you have to do it at the ballot box and so there are three members of that board who are up for reelection this year. And so we will be doing things to register voters and make certain we get people out to vote,” Burse said.

In addition, they’ll discuss this inequitable issue with the national office of actions they may take.

“When JCPS comes were comes up with an option, at least from what we’ve seen, that sounds a little bit ridiculous and a lot like people won’t like it. It seems like that’s the option they end up going with. So when I first heard that this might be on the table months ago, I figured that was probably what was going to happen, and I really hoped it wouldn’t. But it has,” Evans said.

There’s a regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, April 16 at 6 p.m.

 

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