LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools District leadership emphasized Friday that one of its schools will resume classes in the fall. A district spokesperson says during a community meeting Thursday evening rumors started that the Academy @ Shawnee might not open because of the number of teacher vacancies.

What You Need To Know

  • The Academy @ Shawnee will be open in the fall and there will not be a delayed start

  • Rumors began at a community meeting Thursday, leading JCPS to address the status of the school in the fall

  • The next school year for JCPS begins on Aug. 8

“We’re here to just clear up some misinformation out there. There is some information out there that Shawnee would not be opening in August. That is not the case. We will be open Shawnee, in August of 2024,” said chief of schools, Robert Moore.

Incoming principal Hollie Smith said during a community meeting Thursday night, she addressed staffing.

“And so in talking about staffing, we talked about the number of positions that we would need to fill in order to get us to excellence and the progress and the steps that we are doing do to get there, and also the supports that the district was providing,” Smith said.

She said they’re hiring every day and have 25 vacancies between the middle and high schools.

“It was more so not even talking about the state of Shawnee, but more so calling for our community members to assist us in the narrative around Shawnee in a narrative of really pulling in the community members to come in to apply for the jobs here at Shawnee to come down and support with it,” Smith said. “So it never was intentional to talk about the vacancies, but more so to solicit the help of the community members and the members that are invested in this school.”

The next school year for JCPS begins on Aug. 8.

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