LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Parents within the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) system heard the district's new student assignment proposal for the first time in-person Tuesday night and it was met with mixed reviews.
A very healthy crowd turned out to hear the details of the plan, which even Superintendent Marty Pollio said is complicated.
Valerie Persinger said she came to the forum for more clarity.
"It was a lot to take in,” Persinger said. "I just wanted to get a better understanding and I didn't."
That proposal, released on Monday, is an alternative to the current student assignment plan which has not been changed in nearly 40 years. The district said they believe families should have a say in where their child attends school based on community feedback received.
Under the Dual Resides plan, it would give families a choice of attending a middle and high school close to home or attending a designated school in another part of the county.
It would also help west Louisville middle and high school students who don’t have an option of schools close to home and sometimes give alternatives that could be more than 10 miles away.
Pollio said this will increase the sense of student belonging, which in turn increases student success.
"Our Black and Brown students are more likely to attend a Title I school, that's high poverty," Pollio said.
Ruth Daniels, a grandmother to two JCPS students, said the plan sounds promising, but the choice to stay close to home might not work in the West End because of a lack of resources.
"It's good that the students have choice, but we don't have enough schools for them to have choice in west Louisville,” Daniels said.
That's also something the district is working on; the board already approved the creation of a new west Louisville middle school and two high schools.
The plan also lays out millions of dollars in investments for high-needs schools and to improve racial equity in JCPS.
It's something Dee Lightsy, a grandmother of four, is glad to hear.
"It's important that whatever school they choose to go to that they are receiving a quality education, that they are being taught by qualified instructors, that they're not having to use hand-me-down materials," Lightsy said.
The proposal also overhauls the current magnet program in JCPS schools, making it more diverse and equitable.
"They should be located in the urban core, which is one thing we did get right in our district, but we don't have access in the community," Amanda Bush, executive administrator of school choice, said.
The plan would also create a 'feeder system,' which helps better predict where a student will attend, in turn, creating more engagement for potential incoming students.
The Board will also have a community information session during their March 29 meeting at the Academy at Shawnee. The district said there will be a break-out session for a better understanding of the plan
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