LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Parents in some of the state's largest school districts have questions and potential concerns about a resolution moving through the state Capitol in Frankfort.
House Resolution 81 would create a task force to review the state's largest school districts and study the potential impact of realignment, focusing on districts with 75,000 or more students. ing. According to publicly available data, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is the only school district this large in the state.
Jenny Kelly's daughter is a seventh grader at Jefferson County Traditional Middle School (JCTMS) in Louisville.
“We've been very happy with our education at JCPS so far. What's frustrating is the logistics,” Kelly said.
Kelly said about a year ago, her daughter's bus stop was right in front of her house. Now it's half a mile away.
“She's 12 years old. It's a busy street,” Kelly said. “She's not safe. It's bright outside in the afternoon so it's not that bad. We just pray that if something happens we can call her.”
Part of the resolution discusses the option of creating a new school district from a district with more than 75,000 students and the potential impact of more than 16 issues, including district boundaries and transportation. .
“I’m all for anything that improves the district and JCPS, but I really want a realistic explanation of the vision and (proposed) model,” Kelly said.
Kelly added that the district hopes to hire more bus drivers and reinstate additional safe routes.
“I hope they find the best-case scenario where our kids are in safe schools, we have safe transportation, and for the love of God, we work together to find answers and solutions to this crisis.” I hope so,” Kelly said. .