LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The conversation continues one week after the Jefferson County Board of Education voted to cut bus routes for all traditional and magnet schools except for Western and Central high schools. Parents and other members of the community took their concerns directly to the board.

What You Need To Know

  • Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg suggested that Transit Authority of River City bus drivers can become Jefferson County Public School drivers as a solution to its transportation crisis

  • Community members believe bringing on TARC drivers as JCPS bus drivers is not a sustainable solution 

  • Other community members say inclusive decision making that was largely absent from the initial drafting of the transportation plan

  • Superintendent Marty Pollio states that JCPS has held bus driver hiring events in February and in March, with over 90 attendees

Community members like Ti’ant Wyatt are still in shock after last week’s decision to cut bus routes to nearly all magnet and traditional schools. 

On Monday, Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville, suggested that Transit Authority of River City bus drivers can become drivers for Jefferson County Public Schools as a solution. That’s a solution Wyatt doesn’t agree with.

“It’s not a sustainable solution for the future. It’s a: ‘I put the Band-Aid on it and I put the Neosporin on for right now,’” said Wyatt.

Ryan Davis, with the Jefferson County Teachers Association, says addressing the transportation crisis is not yet complete and is calling for collaborative decision making.

“Collaborative decision-making centers with voices of stakeholders most affected by the decision and necessitates a variety of diverse perspectives be present to problem define and solution find. It is this type of inclusive decision making that was largely absent from the initial drafting of the transportation plan that was launched in Aug. 2023, and this type of planning decision making that was largely absent from the decision to eliminate transportation to many JCPS students,” Davis said to the board of education.

JCTA President Maddie Shepard says developing a plan collaboratively will ensure that all students and families have equitable access to higher caliber schools.

“We acknowledge and understand that we can’t complete the same number of routes, with 50% of the drivers that we once had. However, we do believe that collaborative problem designing and solution finding methods that include stakeholders such as, but not limited to bus drivers, teachers, principals, parents, students and community members and organizations would help us better address and understand our current challenges and build trust with the community,” said Shepard.

Parent Owen Sitgraves Jr. says his daughter won’t be affected, but he is still disappointed by the decision, as it still affects many of the children in the community.

“I wasn’t happy with the decision they made to cut out transportation because unfortunately, that hurts my community, the Black community … but some families are single families, which means parents are working two, maybe three jobs. How are they going to get their children to school?” said Sitgraves Jr. 

Many community members at the meeting agree that this decision is unfair and will set these students behind.

Superintendent Marty Pollio states that JCPS has held bus driver hiring events in February and in March, with over 90 attendees, but due to application requirements, they usually get about 18-20% of those qualified applicants. There will be another bus driver blitz in June.

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