LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Citizens of Louisville have the next two weeks to apply to be part of a task force created to examine the city's massive public school district -- and consider whether breaking it up would be the best avenue to improve student performance.
Kentucky lawmakers passed House Concurrent Resolution 81 back in March, kickstarting a group made up of lawmakers, JCPS personnel, and parents to analyze the way the district is managed and how its size impacts proficiency in reading and math.
Now, the state is looking for applicants to fill positions on the task force, which is expected to "explore options for the restructuring or reorganizing of school districts with an enrollment of over 75,000..."
JCPS has more than 96,000 students.
School district leaders have said they're not afraid or against further studies or audit -- which they've become accustomed to in recent years.
Rather, public school advocates have voiced concerns over the potential for predetermined recommendations, alluding to what JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio has called an 'attack on JCPS,' particularly from Republicans in Frankfort.
But JCPS special education teacher and State Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, tells WHAS 11 she's hopeful a fixed outcome won't be the case here.
"It is unusual to have lay people like this on a task force, so I appreciate that in the first place," Bojanowski said. "I appreciate the fact that there is a task force before making a decision."
She referenced a moment late in the 2024 legislative session when Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said, "I would vote today to break it up. I would vote today to break it up into multiple school districts," talking about JCPS and HCR 81 on the Senate floor on March 29.
But Bojanowski did cite concern of over what she calls "leading information" in the resolution.
"I've been told that there are no predetermined outcomes. However, if you read the document for the task force resolution, it does talk about researching splitting up districts. It doesn't talk about researching smaller class sizes or other ways to improve a district," said Bojanowski, who doesn't believe raw test scores tell the whole story of how kids are doing.
Starting in mid-July, two Jefferson County parents, a JCPS teacher and a principal chosen off a list made by Superintendent Marty Pollio will join lawmakers in task force meetings.
"It is a little bit harder to cater to each school when it's such a large school district," Sen. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, told WHAS11 over the phone.
Nemes, co-chair of this task force, says the point is to dig deeper into what can be improved.
When asked whether assessing the possibility of splitting the district is a goal of his, Nemes responded, "No, not at all. It is like anything else -- it could be a suggestion with the data for that and reasons for that. It could be in the report -- on why it should or should not be done -- but as a goal, absolutely not. We have no specific goal except to make the schools better and to teach all of our students better than [how] we're doing now."
The meetings will include a review of how other states have handled similar issues, with student proficiency rates and transportation.
Regardless, Kentucky lawmakers have yet to pass legislation that would create an avenue for them to actually force a split of a local school district.
And as for the parents and teachers who'll be part of this, the resolution states they'll reflect the racial composition of the district, so there should be minority representation.
They have until June 30 to apply, with meetings starting on July 15. For more info on how to apply, click here.
►Contact reporter Isaiah Kim-Martinez at IKimMartin@whas11.com or on Facebook or Twitter
►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, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.