LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The energy shift from one first day of school for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) to the next was clear within just a few hours.
Just after noon on Thursday, Superintendent Marty Pollio appeared noticeably calmer compared to his news conference a year prior on Aug. 9, 2023.
"It was evident by about this time that we were going to have some issues in the afternoon," Pollio told WHAS11 at a school vaccine clinic at Newcomer Academy. "I didn't know how large it was going to be, but I did not have a good feel at this time a year ago."
Now, Pollio said he feels good about the school district's changes to its transportation plan, including getting bus driver staffing above the number of routes.
Overall, he was pleased with the morning commute for students on the first day.
"It's gone really well so far, I mean, the buses for the most part have been on time -- going by schedule," Pollio said.
Pollio did confirm some traffic issues, like drop-off lines seen in the morning outside Audubon Traditional Elementary, seeing more cars as one of several schools that had bus transportation cut. And in the afternoon, WHAS11 witnessed some car pickup lines like at Noe Middle lasting over an hour.
"That is probably the biggest adjustments from the morning we're going to have to make is some traffic flow," Pollio said.
But as Pollio noted, it's easier to get kids to school than back home, so the bigger test remains when the district hits the all-clear time in the evening.
JCPS Board of Education Chair Corrie Shull told WHAS11 he'd give the district's performance Thursday a B+.
“Today is a win, not only for JCPS, but Louisville as a whole," he said during an exclusive interview on WHAS11.
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