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JCPS investing in community learning hubs to help students with NTI

JCPS has set a preliminary budget of $200,000 for these community-based learning hubs, which includes PPE and supplies for six weeks for 50 hubs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools is investing in "community-based learning hubs" to help students and their families navigate NTI learning.

The JCPS board voted Tuesday evening to approve an agreement with Evolve502, one of its community partners. Under this agreement, JCPS will provide up to 30 JCPS-certified substitute teachers, which Evolve502 will then connect to community centers, churches, and other non-profits that have set up to assist students with NTI.

"So these kinds of organizations and groups and churches that are coming together to help kids is fantastic because we know right now it will take all of us to make this a success," JCPS Chief of Communications and Community Relations Renee Murphy said. "And so while we can't be together in person, the next best thing we can do is provide more support."

"We do believe this is the best way to support kids who need additional supports, whether that be wraparound services or whether that be just the ability to go somewhere, have some support, someone to help them get on a computer, communicate with a teacher," JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said at Tuesday's board meeting.

According to Murphy, the individual programs will have a lot of power in making their own decisions when it comes to how their programs are run. The substitute teachers will be there to help facilitate the lessons.

"It's to make sure they have a point person, someone who's familiar with JCPS, someone who's familiar with our system, someone who's already familiar with Google Classrooms and some of the applications students are using right now," she said.

JCPS has set a preliminary budget of $200,000 for these community-based learning hubs, which includes PPE and supplies for six weeks for 50 hubs.

JCPS has not yet made a decision on when students will return to classroom instruction, but the district said the program could continue as a supplement to regular instruction.

"We know that they're with us for part of the time, but they're also in their communities for an even greater amount of time," Murphy said. "And so to be able to have these structures, these systems, these supports in place will be extremely valuable even when we do return to in-person instruction."

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