FRANKFORT, Ky. — State legislative leaders are seeking applicants to serve on a task force created to provide “recommendations on improvements to both the governance and administration of Jefferson County Public Schools,” according to a news release.

In May, House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, and Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, created that Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force. The task force is a 13-member panel tasked with “identifying potential improvements to the district.”

The recommendations from the task force will be given to the speaker of the House and the Senate president by Dec. 1, ahead of when lawmakers convene for the 2025 legislative session.

Osborne and Stivers named state Rep. Kim Banta, R-Fort Mitchell, and state Sen. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, to lead the group. It also includes state Rep. Ken Fleming, R-Louisville, state Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, state Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, state Sen. Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, State Auditor Alison Ball, R-Ky., or a designee, and Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville. It will also include one member from a list of three nominees provided by JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio who are principals within JCPS.

“We want Kentucky to be successful, and a key element of that is setting our children up with a strong educational foundation,” said Nemes. “There should be no fear in analyzing a system that impacts one in every seven Kentucky school-aged children for the best possible structure to better prepare them for higher education or to go right into the workforce.”

“More than 95,000 students are enrolled in JCPS,” added Banta. “That’s greater than the population of all but two of the cities in our entire state and presents unique challenges and opportunities and we owe it to each and every one of them to ensure they have access to a quality education in a safe, professional environment.”

The four remaining task force positions will be appointed by the Legislative Research Commission, and include:

(a) Resident-Parent Members - Two members who are taxpayers living in a school district with an enrollment greater than 75,000, who are not current employees of the school district, have competency and experience or knowledge in the field of education, and have children that are currently attending or recently graduated within the past five years from the school district;

(b) Business Member - One member with experience in the finance, management, and operations of large businesses that operate in the Commonwealth;

(c) Teacher Member - One member who is a certified teacher currently employed as a classroom teacher in a school district with enrollment greater than 75,000 who has at least five years of experience working in the district; and

(d) One member from a list of three nominees that are recommended by the superintendents of school districts with student enrollment of 75,000 who is a principal.

Eligible individuals must also commit to regularly attend scheduled meetings. Applicants can submit applications by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 30, 2024 to be considered for a citizen-member position. Applications should include:

1. A letter of intent that includes contact information, the position sought (Resident-Parent, Business or Teacher), an explanation of how the applicant meets the requirement for the position, and three potential references

2. A resume with work experience and education history.

Those chosen for the task force will receive mileage reimbursement for each meeting attending. Here are the currently scheduled meetings, which will be held at the Capitol Annex in Frankfort:

• Monday, July 15, 2024 at 1 p.m.
• Monday, July 29, 2024 at 3 p.m.
• Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 at 1 p.m.
• Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 at 1 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 21, 2024 at 1 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 at 3 p.m.

One meeting will occur at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville on Aug. 22, 2024, at a time to be determined later. Additional meetings and locations may be announced.

Submissions are to be sent to the following email with subject line to insure proper review:

• Resident-Parent Member Submissions

  • Email to EESDGApplications@lrc.ky.gov, with Subject “Resident-Parent Committee Application”

• Business Member Submissions

  • Email to EESDGApplications@lrc.ky.gov, with Subject “Business Member Committee Application”

• Teacher Member Submissions

  • Email to EESDGApplications@lrc.ky.gov with Subject “Teacher Member Committee Application”

The task force is a result of a House Concurrent Resolution that called for a working group to review the administrative functions of school districs with over 75,000 students.