Kentucky’s largest school district remains out while fixing transportation issues

(The Center Square) – Students in Kentucky’s largest public school district will remain out through at least the middle of this week as Jefferson County Public Schools officials continue to deal with a transportation crisis that led them to cancel school after the first day of classes last Wednesday.

JCPS officially notified the public Saturday there would be no school on Monday or Tuesday, and JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said the hope was that a short-term solution could be in place by the middle of this week while officials work on a longer-term one.

“What we want to make sure that we do without a doubt is when we come back – yes, there are still going to be challenges, there’s going to be delays, we’re working in the same system – but it’s going to be much more efficient, and our communication will be much better with families and schools,” Pollio told reporters.

The school district, one of the largest in the country with roughly 100,000 students, implemented a new schedule for this year, with schools staggering their start and end times. The latest schools end their day at 4:20 p.m.

On Wednesday, transportation snafus led to some students not arriving home until nearly 10 p.m.

Pollio said the number of bus routes in the district has dropped significantly over the past decade, from more than 900 to roughly 550 this year. The reduction is due to a lack of drivers available to transport students.

“That has stretched us very thin,” he said.

Some state lawmakers have questioned whether JCPS needs to be broken down into smaller districts, while others have repeated calls for allowing school choice in the state. The General Assembly, which has Republican supermajorities in both chambers, is expected to support a constitutional amendment for the 2024 election that would legalize education opportunity accounts to give Kentucky families expanded options for their children’s schooling.

However, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Executive Director Jason Bailey tweeted Saturday that state lawmakers have shirked their responsibility to cover transportation costs for public school districts for nearly two decades.

“Despite billions now in the rainy day fund, the state still pays only 70% of these costs in the current budget,” he said.