LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a school year marred by transportation issues, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) officials are working on three options to bolster confidence at the start of the next school year.
To see the impact of JCPS's bus blunders, look no further than duPont Manual High School sophomore, David Schenk, who said a friend moved away at the start of this school year because of a lack of transportation.
"They just said, 'Okay, we're moving down to Atlanta where the rest of our family lives,'" Schenk said.
The district is now looking ahead to future fixes, as JCPS superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio presented three options to the school board during a meeting Tuesday.
"We cannot continue the same way," Pollio said on Tuesday. "And expect students to get to school on time and get home on time."
Here are the three options for next school year headed to a vote soon:
- Eliminate all bus routes to and from traditional and magnet schools—about 478 in total.
- Create magnet and traditional school hubs, where parents are responsible for getting their students to school and home.
- No transportation changes at all.
"I think parents are still frustrated," Simona Vertacco, a JCPS mom of two magnet school students, said. "They're all problematic in different ways."
Many JCPS parents and students raise the issue that cutting transportation to most, if not all, magnet and traditional schools could create serious equity issues in the district.
"So who can go to magnet schools will be the more privileged students," Vertacco said. "It's really against the whole idea that magnet schools should be for for everybody."
"Well, I'm a bus rider. And I can say, it's been really rough," Ada Gibson, a duPont Manual High School junior, said. "Some people will not be able to go to Manual anymore. And so, it also presents this kind of almost discriminatory face. And that that is definitely sad."
The district estimates option one could impact close to 16,000 magnet and traditional school students, but they add it's the only option that would free up enough bus drivers to cover necessary routes.
"I think probably one of the better options for JCPS is to just keep it the way that it is," Schenk said. "It won't have as much friction as implementing a new system."
The district is still adjusting the three plans. It expects to give the board a final presentation to vote in four to five weeks.
"What you said about hubs, I haven't heard that been spoken about, but that does sound like a good idea," Gibson said. "It sounds like an option."
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.