LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — JCPS wrapped up its 2025-2026 school year Friday, and the closure of two elementary schools in the district became real for parents.

King Elementary in the west end and Zachary Taylor Elementary in Louisville's east end are now permanently closed. The closure of both schools is a part of JCPS's budget cuts. 

"There's no question that much of the public conversation this year centered around a $188 million deficit," JCPS superintendent Brian Yearwood said Friday at a year-end press conference. 

Representatives from the district previously explained that both schools were not up to code and in poor physical condition. By closing King and Zachary Taylor, the district will spend less on operational cost, helping to work towards a balanced budget.

Cedrick Yelder witnessed the loss of part of his legacy with the closure.

"This community means a lot to me," Yelder said. "Martin Luther King school is the school that I went to in elementary school."

Yelder said he doesn't agree with the closure of schools in the area with no plan to replace them.

"If there's a community in our city that needs to be reminded of the value of education it's this one," he said.

Less is what Yelder feels kids who attended King Elementary are now getting as the last day of school sealed the permanent closure of the elementary schools.

"I would like to see us be a little more responsible about how we allocate funds," he said.

Lela Offutt, who lives in walking distance to King, said kids are losing out.

"For them to take the school away knowing these kids don't have no other school. They mamas don't have cars," Offutt said.

Aside from a magnet school in the area, King Elementary is the only public elementary school in the Shawnee neighborhood.

"What is the people with the kids that work the 9 to 5, and they depend on their child walking to school what are they supposed to do?" Offutt asked.

King Elementary families have the option to send their kids to either Kennedy or Maupin Elementary, three miles away from the neighborhood that King Elementary is in.

Offutt said most parents who send their kids to King don't have cars. Their kids often walk to and from school, leaving questions about transportation for the upcoming school year.

Buses are available for families who decide to send their kids to either school, but Offutt said kids who attend Kennedy Montessori school will be forced to ride the bus and attend school with older kids.

Montessori schools often have mixed-age classrooms.

Offutt said the mixed-age classrooms and shared buses raises more concerns for bullying and creates an opportunity for younger kids to be negatively influenced by older children.

"You putting smaller people with high people who are going to pick on them," Offutt said. "

Offutt said before Friday, the closure felt like just talk. She feels like the district could have done more to save the school. 

She said she feels like the district wasted money building the new Dr. William H. Perry Elementary School in 2023. The new Perry school sits right across the street from the old Roosevelt-Perry school. 

The old school is not being used. She said she feels like the money used to build the new school could have been invested into renovating King Elementary and getting it up to code. 

"Everyone speak of they're for the kids and it's like how are you for the kids because don't none of these kids got nobody," she said. 

After the last day of school Friday, the end for King Elementary became real.

"Y'all created this," she said. "Y'all closing schools down so then the kids ain't gonna do nothing but be out here on the streets doing what the other kids doing because y'all taking away from them."

Copyright 2026 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.