Board accepts draft budget, closes 2 JCPS elementary schools as part of $142M in cuts

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Jefferson County Board of Education accepted a draft budget with $142 million in proposed cuts to Jefferson County Public Schools to address what's projected to be a $188 million shortfall in the 2026-27 budget.

The vote came during the district's board meeting Tuesday evening, which marked the first time members debated the proposed cuts less than a week after Superintendent Brian Yearwood unveiled the initial plan last week. Yearwood revised the plan Friday to cut mental health practitioners rather than instructional coaches, after pushback from principals.

Altogether, this new proposal would total about $142 million in cuts as the district aims to balance its budget.

Teachers and staff rallied before Tuesday's meeting, asking the board to protect mental health practitioner positions. They stood outside the meeting wearing green the mental health awareness color. Multiple mental health practitioners spoke saying there work is lifesaving.

Following the protest at the beginning of the meeting, Board member and Vice Chairman James Craig filed a motion to preserve funding for mental health practitioners and instead go back to the initial plan of cutting funding for instructional coach positions, leaving it up to principals to make funding decisions based on the wants and needs of the school. The motion passed in a 5–2 vote, reversing the superintendent’s revised proposal.

School closures approved

The plan also makes the closures of King and Zachary Taylor elementary schools official. This is something multiple staff members and parents spoke out strongly against in front of the board at the meeting. As part of the transition, JCPS said families will "receive priority status in the school choice process."

Additionally, the district said applications to magnet programs from families at both schools will be prioritized, "contingent on capacity." A transition committee will be formed for both schools, made up of principals, teachers, staff, parents and community members to assist families.

In a news release, JCPS said families at both elementary schools can begin submitting transfer applications or magnet school applications now.

Students at King Elementary have several magnet school options, including: Brandeis, Brown, Coleridge-Taylor, Hawthorne, Lincoln and the Traditional Magnet. The schools labeled "close to home" for those students are Kennedy and Maupin. Address-based, further away options include Doss Zone, Fairdale Zone, Iroquois Zone, PRP Zone and Valley Zone.

Zachary Taylor families can apply for magnet programs at Brandeis, Brown, Coleridge-Taylor, Hawthorne, Lincoln and the Traditional Magnet. They are also in the Ballard Elementary Zone, which includes Chancey, Dunn, Norton Commons, Norton, Portland and Wilder.

Breakdown of proposed cuts

The $142 million in cuts include:

$44 million from Central Office, including the elimination of roughly 300 positions and a reorganization of district departments and leadership.
$41 million from school budget funds JCPS says are not tied directly to student instruction, like cutting many safety administrators.
$30 million from ongoing union negotiations, like cuts to teachers cost of living allowance. Though the district said that number is projected to change as negotiations continue.
$13 million from Operations and Transportation.
$9 million from contracts and subscriptions.
$5 million from facilities and underutilized assets.

Of the proposed cuts, 80% would come from Central Office positions, supplemental programs and reworking the teachers union contract.

Principals raise concerns

Dozens of district employees and parents packed Tuesday's meeting, many spoke in front of the board begging leaders for hours to reconsider deep cuts to the budget.

Many principals who spoke Tuesday said district leaders didn't ask them to weigh in on the proposed cuts and wanted to know why schools weren't involved in the decision-making process.

"Why were school leaders not asked for input on a draft that gravely impacts our students?" Southern High School Principal Sariena Simpson asked the board. "Why are we being told that these proposed cuts won't impact classrooms when so many of the proposed cuts directly impact our classrooms? Why was no detailed analysis provided on how the proposed cabinet changes are going to save money while adding new positions and giving promotions to others? Why are principals not seen as fit to evaluate our own AIC's instead of building in another layer of the bureaucracy that we have been told would be eliminated."

Yearwood responded that JCPS will always "work toward" a seat at the table for principals and "there's opportunity ahead to have more engagement with principals."

One middle school principal also said, because of cuts to school funding sources, middle schools will lose anywhere from one to seven teachers.

WDRB asked Yearwood Asked about principals saying they will lose teaching staff, Yearwood said the decisions being made "will end up in a net positive or even a stronger student outcome."

He said he has "no regrets" on how the process was handled.

The district's draft budget proposal also includes some reorganization and restructuring amongst the Superintendent's Cabinet, and the elimination of some administrative roles.

Central office cuts not yet fully detailed

The board and the public still have not received the entire list of the around 300 central office roles are being eliminated "We need to see line by line cuts from central office before anything's really set in stone and when we get that on Feb. 10 that will be the vote that really sets everything in stone," board member Taylor Everett said.

He says there is still room for elements of the draft budget to change "I think if we don't see the central office cuts we want absolutely we could see more changes and we'd demand them because that's where everyone wants to see them."

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