LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Efficient and Effective School Governance Task Force created to review districts with student enrollment greater than 75,000 students wants to continue meeting in 2025.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is the only school district that has more than 75,000 students enrolled.
In a letter to President Robert Stivers, Speaker David Osborne and the Legislative Research Commission, the task force co-chairs said they met with several people within the school district, and officials from organizations like the Kentucky State Data Center and the Kentucky Department of Education.
With the testimony they have received and the data they found, the task force believes they should continue to meet in the new year, and asked them for an extension.
Most of the testimony they heard often called for more funding, specifically to improve transportation and reduce class size.
"More detailed information is needed to develop a set of recommendations to improve district efficiency and effectiveness," they wrote. "Furthermore, due to the pending selection of a new district superintendent [in JCPS] and potential changes at the federal level, additional time would ensure the recommendations would have an impact."
The task force met a total of ten times: twice in Jefferson County, and eight times in Frankfort.
"We wanted to ensure we approached this with thorough research rather than rushing to conclusions," co-chair Sen. Michael Nemes said. "As reflected in the members' recommendations, there are critical actions the task force needs to address that couldn't be completed by December 1. Our goal is to implement meaningful changes that will enhance education for our children and achieve the best possible outcomes. Making recommendations for permanent structural and policy changes such as the district's size, curriculum, discipline, or transportation, would not be sensible without solid data and a clear action plan."
JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said he's happy with where the task force landed, and he thought many of the presentations they've seen have been positive.
"For me, I continue to say the biggest needs in public education right now are staffing, especially teachers, bus drivers and student attendance so any support we get from the task force for that is greatly appreciated," he said.
Their final meeting in 2024 was in Frankfort on Nov. 18 officials said.
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