LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Legislative leaders are searching for people who are interested in joining a task force created to provide recommendations on improvements to Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS).
The Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force, a 13-member panel, was created last month to identify potential improvements to the district.
Recommendations from the task force are expected to be given to the Speaker of the House and Senate President by Dec. 1, 2024, before the 2025 Regular Session.
Representative Kim Banta (R-Fort Mitchell) and Senator Mike Nemes (R-Shepherdsville) lead the task force, which also includes Representative Ken Fleming, House member, appointed by the House Speaker; Senator Lindsey Tichenor; Representative Tina Bojanowski; Senator Gerald Neal; State Auditor Alison Ball or a designee; and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg or a designee; and one member from a list of three nominees provided by JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio who are principals within JCPS.
“We want Kentucky to be successful, and a key element of that is setting our children up with a strong educational foundation,” Sen. Nemes said. “There should be no fear in analyzing a system that impacts one in every seven Kentucky school-aged children for the best possible structure to better prepare them for higher education or to go right into the workforce.”
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The task force will be identifying improvements on both the governance and administration of JCPS, including whether or not Louisville's largest school district should be broken up into multiple districts.
“As a lifelong educator and student advocate, I look forward to working with such a broad range of individuals to identify areas of improvement and a path forward. I’ve spent time in the classroom, administration, and even behind the steering wheel of a bus and believe it is critical that we get input from different perspectives – including parents, teachers, educators, and community leaders," Rep. Banta said. "More than 95,000 students are enrolled in JCPS. That’s greater than the population of all but two of the cities in our entire state and presents unique challenges and opportunities and we owe it to each and every one of them to ensure they have access to a quality education in a safe, professional environment.”
The four remaining task force positions will be appointed by the Legislative Research Commission, and include:
- Resident-Parent Members - Two members who are taxpayers living in a school district with an enrollment greater than 75,000, who are not current employees of the school district, have competency and experience or knowledge in the field of education, and have children that are currently attending or recently graduated within the past five years from the school district;
- Business Member - One member with experience in the finance, management, and operations of large businesses that operate in the Commonwealth;
- Teacher Member - One member who is a certified teacher currently employed as a classroom teacher in a school district with enrollment greater than 75,000 who has at least five years of experience working in the district; and
- One member from a list of three nominees that are recommended by the superintendents of school districts with student enrollment of 75,000 who is a principal.
In addition, eligible individuals must also commit to regularly attend scheduled meetings. To be considered for a citizen-member position, applicants shall submit by email the following information by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30, 2024:
A letter of intent that includes:
- Contact information for the applicant;
- The position sought (Resident-Parent, Business, or Teacher);
- An explanation of how the applicant meets the requirements for the position; and
- Three potential references; and
- A resume detailing the applicant's work experience and education history.
Selected citizen members will be expected to attend and participate in all task force meetings and will receive mileage for each meeting attended. Currently scheduled meeting dates and times are listed below and will be held at the Capitol Annex in Frankfort, additional meetings and locations may be announced:
- Monday, July 15, 2024 at 1 p.m.
- Monday, July 29, 2024 at 3 p.m.
- Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 at 1 p.m.
- Monday, Sept. 16, 2024 at 1 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 21, 2024 at 1 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Additionally, one meeting will occur at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville on August 22, 2024 at a time yet to be determined.
Submissions are to be sent to the following emails. You're asked to include a subject line to insure proper review.
Resident-Parent Member Submissions:
Email to EESDGApplications@lrc.ky.gov, with Subject “Resident-Parent Committee Application”
Business Member Submissions:
Email to EESDGApplications@lrc.ky.gov, with Subject “Business Member Committee Application”
Teacher Member Submissions:
Email to EESDGApplications@lrc.ky.gov with Subject “Teacher Member Committee Application”
For more information on the task force, click here.
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