FRANKFORT, Ky. — Lawmakers in Frankfort announced the five citizen members of a new task force who will look into the administration of Jefferson County Public Schools and recommend possible reforms ahead of the 2025 legislative session.

“We want to do the best in the nation and we want to do better. So we want to look at what we’re doing and what we can do, and look at other school systems that we might want to emulate or stay away from,” said State Sen. Michael Nemes, R-Shepardsville. 

A decision on whether to split up JCPS has been tossed around since this resolution was filed. Nemes says that is not the intention of this task force.  

“A lot of people, maybe that’s their intent, maybe that’s what they want, and that’s certainly been all over social media,” He explained. “But that is not my intent. Our intent is to make Jefferson County Public Schools the best they can be.” 

State Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, is one of two Democrat lawmakers on the task force. She hopes misconceptions about JCPS will be clarified, but worries that the task force will weigh splitting up the district.  

“What you say you’re going to talk about is a leading indicator of what you might intend to do, but I do have confidence that they will look at what is brought to the task force, and then make decisions off of that,” Bojanowski said. 

Angela Madsen-Wilson and Brittany Abdelahad will serve as resident-parent members on the task force. Both had to be taxpayers living in a school district with an enrollment greater than 75,000 and have children currently attending or recently graduated within the past five years from the school district. They also had to have experience or knowledge in the field of education and could not be a current employee of the district.

Jody Wurtenberger will serve as the business member. This role required someone with experience in finance, management and operations of large businesses that operate in the commonwealth. Wurtenberger recently wrote an op-ed in the Courier Journal to support House Bill 2, which would allow state dollars to go to private education, if passed by voters in November as a constitutional amendment. 

George Nichols will serve as the teacher member. He is a welding instructor at Iroquois High School. This appointee had to be a certified teacher employed as a classroom teacher in a school district with enrollment greater than 75,000 and at least five years’ experience working in the district. Nichols is also the treasurer of the Jefferson County Teachers Association.

Dr. Rebecca Nicolas will serve as the principal member. She was chosen from a list of three principals nominated by the superintendents of school districts with an enrollment of 75,000 or greater. Nicolas is the principal at Fern Creek High School.

House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, and Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, established the Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force in May. The 13-member panel is tasked with reviewing the district’s governance model and “identifying areas for potential improvement” by Dec. 1.

State Rep. Kim Banta, R-Fort Mitchell, and Sen. Michael J. Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, will be co-chairs for the group. They selected the citizen members through a public application process last month.

The task force results from House Concurrent Resolution 81, adopted by the General Assembly during the 2024 legislative session. Its job is to review the “administrative functions and learning outcomes” of schools districts that have over 75,000 students. It is also charged with gathering testimony from parents and policy experts, and researching the structures and outcomes of similar districts in other states.

The measure was sponsored by Rep. Ken Fleming, R-Louisville, who will serve on the panel. Also serving on the task force will be Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, Rep. Tina Bojanowksi, D-Louisville and Senate Minority Floor Leader Gerald A. Neal, D-Louisville. State Auditor Allison Ball and Louisville Metro Councilman Phillip Baker, D-District 6, will also be on the task force.

In a statement to Spectrum News, a spokesperson from JCPS said they were thankful a principal and teacher from the district were among those selected for the task force.

“It is crucial the task force is focused on what is best for all JCPS students,” the statement said. “We expect the task force will approach this without any political agenda and their recommendations will be driven solely by the goal of building upon the work the District is already doing to improve educational outcomes and opportunities for all students.”

The announcement of the citizen appointments comes ahead of the group’s first meeting at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 15.