LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After deliberating for nearly an hour behind closed doors, the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Board gave the green light for legal action involving the district's proposed tax hike.
The resolution, approved by every board member except for Linda Duncan who abstained, allows JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio to take "all steps necessary" to challenge the Jefferson County Clerk's petition certification.
The Clerk's Office reviewed the petition and determined it had 38,507 verified signatures.
"Our analysis showed the petition is hundreds, if not thousands short of the number needed," Brent McKim said.
Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) President Brent McKim said the petition has thousands of invalid signatures.
"Signatures that have incorrect date of birth and that sort of thing, there are other ones that have name and address issues and those are things that were not used by the clerk to invalidate clearly invalid signatures," McKim said.
The JCTA completed an independent analysis of the petition and found 5,400 signatures that had inaccurate information or were repeated.
"We need to be sure that we really do follow the law and there enough valid signatures before putting this thing forward and undermining a democratic decision of the fully elected school board," McKim said.
The petition needs 35,517 valid signatures to allow voters in JCPS's taxing district to decide in November whether to pass the proposed 7-cent increase on the district's property tax. JCTA said if the Clerk's Office had invalidated all the signatures it found issues with, the tax increase would have passed.
"We would be supportive of challenging," McKim said. "It should not be overturned based on poorly verified signatures."
“We’re confident the petition did not meet the standards set forth in legislation,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio. “But if the courts disagree with us, I look forward to making the case to Jefferson County voters that JCPS has a critical, immediate need for new revenue so our students have academic opportunities, classrooms and athletic facilities that are similar to those in other Kentucky public school districts.”
The Jefferson County Circuit Court will now likely decide if voters will see the tax hike on the ballot in November.
Contact reporter Tyler Emery at temery@WHAS11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@TylerWHAS11) and Facebook.
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