LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hosted by the Louisville Central Community Center, DuPonte Manual senior Love Eden took the mic for the 8th Annual West Louisville Youth Empowerment Summit on Friday.
"If I was to be superintendent and money was no problem, cause we know money is always a problem, I would first of all make magnet schools and choice schools equal," she said, answering a student panel question.
That's partly because of how exclusive magnets like Manual are, made even more so by JCPS's transportation cuts. It's why her close friend, who was just accepted into the school after applying three times, won't be able to go.
"That was almost me, until my mom made the decision to switch schools and her working path," Eden said.
She blames the district's use of AI for last year's transportation issues.
"It's not really thinking about the student, it's just thinking about where the bus can go. So I feel like we're big adults now, I feel like we can actually choose where buses go," she explained.
Now, she worries bus driver pay is too low to make up for the lost drivers.
RELATED: JCPS parents sue district over bus transportation cuts, claim students' civil rights are violated
While the student panel criticized the adults making decisions at JCPS, they also criticized themselves saying that young people can make a difference.
Keshawn Johnson sympathized with the growing role of teachers handling mental health issues.
"They gotta identify so many different personalities and so many different personas of these different students, but when are we gonna go to them and when are we gonna be open?" he said.
Having a connection to his teachers made opening up easier for Johnson after they came to his baptism.
"Just because I know that you're there for me on a personal level," Johnson elaborated, "I'm more comfortable coming to you. I'm more willing to come to you about my problems at home and I feel safe now."
Giving advice to the younger crowd, he said it's important to turn losses into lessons.
The Louisville Urban League is hosting a JCPS policy change session on the upcoming school year July 29 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Urban League office.
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