LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Four of the seven seats on the Jefferson County Board of Education are being contested in the November 8 election. WDRB News surveyed all candidates on key issues; their responses are below.
The answers were not edited for spelling or grammar, although one response was truncated because it exceeded the allotted word limit.
The candidates' names are those that will appear on the ballot.
District 1
Charlie Bell, Ahamara Brewster, Carol Travis-Clark and Diane Porter (left to right).
What is your plan to combat learning loss by students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly students of color?
Charlie Bell
I believe an option would be to implementing an all-year school for the next 5-10 years to be able to get our children on grade level which will consist of shorter breaks, but the breaks would be more often.
Ahamara Brewster
We need to treat our children like college students. They need more responsibility when it comes to there learning and studying is key. They need homework and textbooks sent home and this needs to be their primary focus and we need parent accountability to uphold that. As for African-American students I suggest they gather together, middle school and high school at the Arabian Federation Martial Arts Academy operated by Grand Master Khalid, were students are monitored, they will receive discipline, and will be able to focus and get help. Grand Master Khalid is the pillar to community and he should be compensated for utilizing the space so he can continue to provide for our students. For our elementary students, mom and dad must step up to the plate and get a routine and start working with their children.
Carol Travis-Clark
I feel that’s time loss that can’t be made up. We need to focus on the present meet students where they are at and move forward.
Diane Porter (incumbent)
Our Board will be presented a comprehensive plan for combating the academic learning decline. This plan will include the work of many JCPS departments. A few departments are listed here: Academic School Divisions, Accelerated Improvement, Accountability, Community Support, Diversity/Equity/Poverty, Early Childhood, ESL, Family Resources/Youth Service Centers, School Choice, and Teaching and Learning Services. Working together the plan will be inclusive of specific plans to address academic learning decline.
How should the district address labor shortages, specifically in recruiting and hiring teachers and bus drivers?
Charlie Bell
Provide support to current teachers through peer support from retired teachers/hire part-time teachers to cofacilitate classes. For bus driver shortage there could be an option for independent contractors for routes or even parents given a stipend to offset gas prices due to schools not being close their homes.
Ahamara Brewster
You can't address labor shortages until you deal with the root. We need to work with what we have until JCPS makes improvements so people want to work for JCPS. We need to focus on our students at this time, not the labor shortage. It's unfortunate this is happening but there are worser things happening right now than labor shortages. The psychological oppression our children are facing should be priority and how are we going to nurse them back to a better mental state. According to community, the are no teachers and bus drivers because they can't tolerate the students.
Carol Travis-Clark
The District should be more in tuned to teacher’s needs emotionally, physically, financially and mentally. Showing teachers that they are valued will go a long way towards retaining and recruiting teachers, the same would apply to bus drivers.
Diane Porter
JCPS can learn specific strategies used by other school districts and also gather information from our community corporations and businesses partners. We can use data from JCPS staff who exit our district (exit survey) to identify specific areas to add/improve that will increase retention. It is also important to ask current staff their thoughts on hiring and retaining staff. JCPS had a JCPS Job Fair October 21 to recruit staff.
Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, JCPS will adopt a new student assignment plan to allow students to go to schools closer to home. Do you support this plan or would you change anything about it? Please explain.
Charlie Bell
Yes I support school choice. What I would change would be k-8 students would go to the school closest to your home and the choice would be high school where you would pick the school that aligns with your plans for your future. The only way this could work is if all k-8 schools were equal with resources.
Ahamara Brewster
I support the plan, it brings the unity back into community. Most of the teachers already know the students and their families because some live relatively close or attend the same churches, and the bulk of West End families have family ties to each other. It gives teachers the ability to get closer with families and get closer to community partners to help. I support the plan and the funds allocated to the district need to be used for holistic resources for students and teachers. No dollar should be used unless it is for the enhancement and overall achievement of students.
Carol Travis-Clark
The District should have corrected the student assignment plan 35 years ago when they changed the busing assignments for white neighborhoods in the east and south end of Louisville, while still busing black students in the west end of Louisville. In short, I don’t support student assignment unless it’s fair across the table.
Diane Porter
I voted for the Student Assignment/Choice Plan to provide funding and services for District 1 and all JCPS districts to work together for student and staff academic success. JCPS will work to implement the plan that addresses student success, academics and enhancing achievement. Our first task is to insure parental understanding of the plan. Ms. Amanda Averette-Bush is our JCPS School Choice Director/Executive Administrator. Her team is currently hosting Information Sessions, Open Houses and various communication tools to insure the application processes are transparent, easy to navigate, and there is equitable distribution of information. There will be an annual review by external and internal evaluators of the plan with corrective actions in place after each review.
With the passage of House Bill 9 in the 2022 General Assembly, JCPS will be required to authorize a charter school by 2023. What role do you believe charter schools should play in the district in the future?
Charlie Bell
Charter schools will be successful. Charter schools give parents choice and also allow options as far a curriculum and structure. As a parent and former Charter School Principal if there was a charter school here in Jefferson County I would be an advocate.
Ahamara Brewster
I support charter schools, they complement JCPS. There's no one size fits them all to education and our parents deserve options to their children's success. They play a role by taking different approaches to education that JCPS may not offer and I whole heartily believe that people who set off to create their own institutions to help children is the greatest humanitarian thing one could do. We should support people who create schools for future generations. Everyone has a vision and purpose for humanity, we must respect their dedication to serve, I support charter schools.
Carol Travis-Clark
Charter school’s role will be to provide an alternative schooling for students and parents that fill JCSP is not a good fit for their children. Charter schools provide choice.
Diane Porter
Charter schools are another choice for educating students in Jefferson County. Questions will be asked and answered and an opportunity for community feedback/questions before authorization occurs in 2023. One question that has been asked many times requests an understanding of how charter schools will be funded.
How should JCPS appropriate funds to address facility needs throughout the district, particularly in light of aging buildings?
Charlie Bell
The funds should be allocated in a way that every school is a safe, secure environment for all students and staff
Ahamara Brewster
No answer provided
Carol Travis-Clark
Funds should be allocated based on the severity of the school’s condition.
Diane Porter
JCPS has a Facilities Committee that his chaired by Board Member James Craig. Members of the Committee are Chris Perkins, Chief Operations Officer, and staff from JCPS Facility Planning and other JCPS staff members who contribute to the work of this committee. Board members have the opportunity to ask one community member from their district to participate in Facilities meetings. It is important that the Board approve a Facilities Plan based on immediate and long term facility needs. It may be necessary to work with Louisville facility consultants as we identify the needs, funding, and timeline for completion of facility services.
As winter approaches, experts expect a rise in COVID-19 cases that could drive Jefferson County into the “red” category that would require masks for students, staff and visitors. Would you support this current structure or want to change it? How?
Charlie Bell
Mask should be by choice
Ahamara Brewster
No, it's starting to become a burden and that's not how the immune system works and a mask isn't going to solve it. I haven't been sick in over 25+ years and if we aren't going to teach basic information to students and families, the city, on how to boost their immunity and prepare their bodies for the cold, slapping mask isn't the solution. Having a nutritious diet and proper herbs from nature as supplements are. We aren't talking about health we are talking about sickness, let's talk HEALTH. The pharamceutical companies have been prescribing drugs that have been weakening immune systems for decades. Get health together and we don't have to keep focusing on the dis-EASE. In the event of this "red zone" situation, masking is still an option, you can't force students, teachers, or staff to wear them.
Carol Travis-Clark
I support mask mandate if Jefferson County is in the red. It is our responsibility to keep students and staff safe from disease the can end life.
Diane Porter
It is important to analyze, evaluate and revise the health/safety plan that was used for COVID-19. It is important to communicate options available for waivers for students and staff. It is important to have feedback/thoughts from staff, parents, and students.
It is JCPS responsibility to provide a safe and healthy learning/teaching environment and transportation for students and staff.
District 3
G. Perry Adelmann, Sam Cowan, James Craig and J. Stephen Ullum (left to right).
What is your plan to combat learning loss by students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly students of color?
G. Perry Adelmann
My plan to address the opportunity gap that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic is to use my platform as a member of the JCPS school board to continue to amplify the voices and concerns of those most impacted. "Learning loss" is a term that has been contrived by outsiders and opportunists who seek to undermine public education. In order to truly close the "achievement gap" and get vindictive legislators off our backs, we must address root cause issues and undergo comprehensive education reform, while simultaneously rejecting language used by those who would cheer our demise.
Kentucky led the nation in education reform in 1990, and we can do it again. With the voucher bill being challenged in court by the same group that led the constitutional challenge back in 1989 that requires the General Assembly "provide an efficient system of common schools throughout the State," we are ripe for another KERA. As a school board member of the largest district in the state, and leader of grassroots groups that have championed this cause, I would take the initiative to build such a coalition and bring representative voices to the table, as I've been doing for the past decade.
Samuel Lewis Cowan
It is of utmost importance that schools recently labeled needing assistance from the KY Department of Education receive additional resources and staffing. Most, if not all of these schools in JCPS, enroll our students of color...and all of them absolutely enroll children of extreme poverty circumstance(s). Our students in these schools need additional time before, during, and after school for learning loss and enrichment. School Improvement Plans will need to be created and monitored monthly. Technology-rich supports must also accompany this assistance for at-home progress monitoring and assistance. Every school also must have a full-time mental health counselor to attend to family and student needs. Last, community supports for our students and their families in these schools must be advanced even further with outreaches to more organizations and businesses willing to assist in improving the learning outcomes of our children in most need.
James Craig (incumbent)
Two things. First, state test results issued this week reveal that issues with learning loss are consistent with pre-pandemic education challenges. Poor students were more likely to suffer the most. We need to get resources to those students as quickly as we can, in the form of additional teachers and adults in the building. Second, we have learned from the pandemic that NTI is an inadequate substitute for in-person learning, and we must work together to ensure that it does not happen again.
J. Stephen Ullum
The first solution is to understand that NTI was a massive failure, and our schools should never be closed like that again. There was no consistency, there were no uniform acceptable standards of implementing it, and it was more like everyone just doing whatever they wanted.
The second solution is to eliminate the overbearing mask and socialization mandates on our kids. Let them get back to just being kids again. Kids learn by interacting with each other and with their teachers, not by being placed in isolation. The fact that our kids are the only members of our society that are mandated the way they are by this school board is just an abuse of power.
I would like to explore more of a standards-based grading system for our elementary school students only. This will give us the opportunity to determine where the learning losses are the greatest and address those shortcomings at an early age before they get even further behind than what they are now. I do NOT support standards-based grading at the middle and high school levels.
We also need to make sure we have adequate tutoring available for all our students, and we need to utilize all avenues to make sure we have enough support for our students, regardless of their income level.
How should the district address labor shortages, specifically in recruiting and hiring teachers and bus drivers?
G. Perry Adelmann
We should begin by listening to what educators and parents have been telling lawmakers for decades what is needed to improve education in JCPS and across Kentucky. Offering more solutions to leaders who refuse to listen and heed our warnings will result in catastrophic failure of school systems nationwide. I believe we are already victim to this.
In addition to comprehensive education reform mentioned above, I would look into the frequent reports of bullying from the administration, toxic, unprofessional and even racist atmospheres of some schools and departments, as well as blacklisting, black holes of unanswered job applications, and fraudulent pushouts of teachers and other employees, especially of color. Internal investigations records reveal bias in how grievances, abuse and worse are handled, including manufactured evidence, impossible competing tasks, retaliation, retribution, harassment and discrimination.
As a PTA mom who was simply trying to advocate for a majority non-white school, I've already tried to bring these issues to the attention of district leaders on dozens, if not hundreds, of occasions, only to have my current board member tell lies about me and shut me down, I decided the only way to address these issues is to have a seat at the table.
Samuel Lewis Cowan
Labor shortages must be addressed in many forms through both short-term and long-term avenues. In the short term, salary bonuses have to be continued to be explored for staff to attract effective persons and retain existing staff members in all critical areas. Resources must be more than adequate for staffing needs and all procedures and policies must be adhered to with fidelity in the district. Job Fairs must be created and attended by district staff in even more areas of our county, state, and country. For long-term influences, the Academies of Louisville must be expanded to create more interest in JCPS positions and careers in younger students before they exit high school. College Fairs must be held. Competitive pay has to continue to be reviewed annually and a formal process for staff exit interviews must be employed with fidelity as well. If shortages are not adamantly focused on, then teacher-student ratios and longer bus trips for students will stay current issues in our schools.
James Craig
We must respect our educators by paying them a salary that is commensurate with their education. And we must remove barriers to actual instruction, such as unnecessary meetings. We must further work to improve behaviors on our bus routes. The number one complaint we hear from bus drivers who leave is behavior. Adding bus monitors would go a long way to solving that issue.
J. Stephen Ullum
The teachers and bus drivers I have spoken to have said the main reason for these staffing shortages is the lack of discipline and rising behavior issues on our buses and in our schools. If we want this issue to improve, school administrators need to start supporting the staff when behavior referrals are written, discipline needs to be dealt consistently across all student demographics, there needs to be a bus monitor on every bus, and JCPS needs to start addressing the behavior issues instead of worrying about how its referral and suspension numbers look. Even issues are serious as guns in our schools are not being addressed correctly every time, as was evident with the gun that was found on a student last October at Iroquois High School. Rather than immediately contacting police as the school should have done, the gun was merely sent back home with dad and police were not even called until hours later. If JCPS is not going to handle something as dangerous as a gun on school property correctly, there is little community trust that other issues are being handled correctly.
Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, JCPS will adopt a new student assignment plan to allow students to go to schools closer to home. Do you support this plan or would you change anything about it? Please explain.
G. Perry Adelmann
I have supported a more equitable student assignment plan since before people were comfortable talking about it. As a parent at Shawnee High School, I saw first-hand how the inequitable distribution of student population and resources caused harm to West Louisville. In 2013, I started speaking at Board Meetings and in 2015, I co-founded Dear JCPS with other Shawnee parents. We were instrumental in pressuring district leaders into revisiting the decades-old plan.
My only complaint with the new plan is that it doesn't go far enough. As the Chairperson for the Coalition for the People's Agenda Education Committee and a Board Member of the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (they are a 501(c)3 and do not endorse in political races), our grassroots organizations brought 18 months worth of community feedback to the board, with input from members across a diverse community spectrum, as well as simple, common sense solutions. Our work was disrespected. My own board member shamed and blocked me on social media for utilizing my constitutional rights as a taxpayer and citizen, and further disregarded any of the requests made by some of our community's most impacted members.
This is why I run.
Samuel Lewis Cowan
The first issue I plan on tackling as a new board member is the MONITORING of our new Student Assignment Plan. It's imperative that it is closely analyzed and reviewed as it becomes a living document that impacts students' lives across the district. As a RETIRED PRINCIPAL, I have the time to spend garnering feedback from stakeholders and listening to families. I will question the plan's impacts upon taxpayers in District 3 and I will advocate that it doesn't negatively burden any student populations. Currently, I support most changes to the plan as they are a fresh start to our future. However, the plan will need to be adapted as it is reviewed and as I listen to my constituents daily.
James Craig
I support the plan, but I will ensure that its results are audited on an annual basis and shared with the community. Every student in Louisville deserves to attend a high quality school, and I hope this plan accomplishes that result. My biggest concern with the plan is that it may lead to re-segregated schools, especially in the East End, and we must be willing to address that concern should it happen.
J. Stephen Ullum
I think it is a step in the right direction, but the plan needs to go further. The students in the west end of Louisville were most definitely disadvantaged by having to travel so far one way to school each day. I agree that these students and their families needed options for students to attend a school close to their home, so I agree with the dual reside options given to these students. Why do only west end students deserve dual reside options, though? Why don't all students in all areas deserve the same treatment? JCPS has advertised that the rest of the district now has options for Middle and High school, but the really is no choice. The options for students and parents are either the reside school or to fill out application and let JCPS decide for them. That's a choice for JCPS, not for the parent and student.
This same concept needs to apply in every aspect with our schools. Options should not be given to some students and not others. Every student, regardless of race, gender, national origin, income, neighborhood, or any other reason deserves to have full access to all the benefits, resources, and options available by JCPS.
With the passage of House Bill 9 in the 2022 General Assembly, JCPS will be required to authorize a charter school by 2023. What role do you believe charter schools should play in the district in the future?
G. Perry Adelmann
I DO NOT support the current charter school law and remain hopeful that a court challenge to its constitutionality is in our future.
I co-founded Save Our Schools Kentucky in 2016 because I realized that predators who had found a way to craft canned legislation in order to siphon tax dollars away from our local communities were behind the push for charters, vouchers and state takeovers in Kentucky and 40+ other states. I caught our superintendent trying to position Shawnee to become a sacrificial lamb for charter school vultures, including Matt Bevin and other ALEC-backed lawmakers. (I'm not sure they still won't.)
This is not to say I do not support choice. My children have attended at least eight school systems in four different states, both public and private. I know that parents have to make decisions that are best for their children, and sometimes, public school is not a good fit. But a school board member's job is to offer a wide, diverse, well-supported array of options and meet the demands of our community, and I believe JCPS must do so in order to address the decline in market share that started long before the pandemic and current administration.
Samuel Lewis Cowan
I am very interested in how the creation of this charter school will arise in JCPS. In reality, the pink elephant in the room per se is that our current magnet schools really serve as existing charter schools. If anyone reviews current 2022 state test scores for JCPS schools, one will definitely see the divide between our students' progress in our magnet schools and our students' lack of progress in non-magnet schools. Therefore, adding a charter school will most likely only deepen this divide in Jefferson County. The burning question is do we really want to discuss this divide or continue down the same path of harm to our students and our community? I am open to debate.
James Craig
My concern about charter schools has always been funding. JCPS accepts all students, and we need the resources necessary to meet their needs. Charter schools will divert resources from public schools.
J. Stephen Ullum
I believe in school choice. As it stands now, parents who are not getting what they need for their kids from JCPS are forced to either sacrifice their income to stay home and homeschool or face private school costs that are unaffordable to many. Students and parents deserve another option. What ultimately matters is that kids are getting the best education they can get for their particular needs. Rather than looking at charter schools as taking taxpayer money away from the public school system, JCPS should look at it as an incentive to improve and correct the issues causing students to leave.
How should JCPS appropriate funds to address facility needs throughout the district, particularly in light of aging buildings?
G. Perry Adelmann
The recent tax referendum was a giant step in the right direction for addressing the needs of our dilapidated and decaying buildings, but it's not enough. Before we decide how to appropriate funds long term, we need to talk about bringing in more revenue, and this time, not from Jefferson County Taxpayers.
I support the legalization and taxation of recreational cannabis. Not only will it bring jobs back to Kentucky, it will bring access to healing and justice for our veterans, minorities and others who historically have not had equitable access to medical care or the criminal justice system. I also want to take a look at the SEEK funding formula to make sure it's still working as intended.
Appropriation of funds earmarked for facilities should be based on need, urgency, but also the diversity targets. Schools that have trouble attracting families that bring agency and resources with them should be provided with the tools, resources and programs to do so. That includes having state-of-the-art facilities.
Samuel Lewis Cowan
There are currently over $1 Billion in facility needs in and for our schools across JCPS. As a former JCPS Principal for over 21 years, I have worked in aging environments that do not support the learning process for students. A beautiful building does not change learning outcomes for students, but it certainly makes school safer and cleaner for staff and students to learn and work. Building new schools across the district to support the Student Assignment Plan, fixing deteriorating physical components of existing schools, and making technology improvements in schools lacking such components MUST be prioritized first. With the recent tax increase that the current board initiated, there should be more than enough funds to complete these tasks as long as taxpayer monies are closely reviewed and the right questions are asked by someone like me who has been in the education field for many years!
James Craig
More than 40% of our schools are past end-of-life according to every metric available. We need to prioritize rebuilding schools that are in the worst shape. We should also consider the needs of the students when rebuilding, assessing the usefulness of outdated architechure that is no longer suited to 21st century teaching practices.
J. Stephen Ullum
This is just basic common sense to me. You can't really make a general rule or policy about this because every building is a different age, has different needs, and has a different history of what funds have been appropriated to it in the past. Common sense will indicate which needs are the greatest. To make sure we have the funds needed to address the most serious and the most urgent needs, we need to take a close look at the budget to see where we are wasting money. It's hard to believe that JCPS is getting $1.4 billion a year and still having so many issues. The school board talks about schools that have been neglected for decades and how some areas of town have their needs addressed more often and with greater urgency than others, but the board is the one making these decisions. If certain school buildings or neighborhoods are being neglected, that is being done by the board's own choosing.
As winter approaches, experts expect a rise in COVID-19 cases that could drive Jefferson County into the “red” category that would require masks for students, staff and visitors. Would you support this current structure or want to change it? How?
G. Perry Adelmann
Due to higher than average risk many students, teachers and staff face, and schools’ potential to increase community spread, I support the current masking policy, with exceptions for medical or religious reasons, outdoors, and in spaces where social distancing is practiced. Parents can opt their children out, should they require it, but we have learned the hard way that not everyone who could be spreading COVID masks or stays home when they should. We must have rules in place to protect our most vulnerable, including those with disabilities, minorities and immune deficiencies, to make sure our schools are safe learning and working environments for everyone. If we all do our part, we can keep the spread to a minimum and be back out of the red sooner.
The current board member frequently says one thing and does another. His stance on masking is another example. In July, he voted to support the district’s policy and by August he was capitulating to election-denying MAGA extremists with ties to SPLC-designated hate groups who have been disrupting school board meetings since last summer. Regardless of one’s position, putting a board decision at risk two weeks after it passes unanimously sets a dangerous precedent.
Samuel Lewis Cowan
At first thought, I am always for masking students and staff as an optional exercise. However, I would work with my colleagues on the board for solutions and I would study all information and requirements given from the CDC in order to make rational decisions regarding this issue. I believe children learn more effectively without masks especially in elementary school, but I also want to make sure that everyone is safe from disease and harm.
James Craig
Unless and until the rest of the community does the same, I am concerned about JCPS students bearing the burden of COVID mitigation by themselves. I would therefore transition from the current system.
J. Stephen Ullum
I oppose mask mandates for our kids. JCPS speaks of equity, yet how equitable was it for only public students to be forced into mandatory masking while private school students weren't? How equitable was it for our youngest students and our ECE students to be forced onto an NTI platform that doesn't cater to the learning needs and styles of these students? Private schools were able to function just fine without mandatory masking and NTI, and there is no reason JCPS cannot do the same. Of the 500 largest school districts in the country, JCPS is one of only about three that still has this masking policy, and these overbearing mandates are only going to worsen the learning losses and the emotional and mental traumas our kids have experienced. The only members of our society that are mandated this way are our kids and only when they walk through the front doors of a public school. It makes no sense. Those who choose to wear masks may wear masks. Those who choose against it should not be forced. It's time to get back to using common sense again. There is no logical reason to suggest that COVID only makes public school students the most dangerous people in the community.
District 5
Linda Duncan, Gregory P. Puccetti and Matt Singleton (left to right).
What is your plan to combat learning loss by students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly students of color?
Linda Duncan (incumbent)
No answer provided
Gregory P. Puccetti
All students were negatively affected by learning loss regardless of the color of their skin. Efforts to ascertain where each student needs help academically should continue, and appropriate interventions should be delivered equitably based on the needs of each individual student. It may take a couple of more years to repair the damage caused by the school board’s COVID policies.
Matthew Singleton
REPLACE CURRICULUM!!! It is a deceptive false narrative to claim that our learning scores were only due to covid alone, since our 2019 scores were just poor if not worse. Some have claimed that this issue was poverty, however the results of Goose rock elementary and clay county schools debunked the idea with impoverished Appalachian youth moving from the low 20's nearly to the 90's in two years.
How should the district address labor shortages, specifically in recruiting and hiring teachers and bus drivers?
Linda Duncan
No answer provided
Gregory P. Puccetti
I have heard countless testimonies from teachers and bus drivers naming student behavior as the driving force behind the attrition of both teachers and bus drivers. Teachers love to teach, but their efforts are thwarted by disruptive students who bully and terrorize both teachers and students alike with impunity. The result is teachers can’t teach and students can’t learn. Similarly, bus drivers, who are responsible for the safety of our children, are distracted by unruly students. The result is a hostile working environment for both teachers and bus drivers, not to mention a chaotic learning environment in schools.
Matthew Singleton
1. To "stop the bleeding" JCPS should assist a transition to alternative and homeschooling,
2. Enact a "robinhood policy" salary caping upper management and rewarding bonuses from cap to best performing teachers.
3. Enchance security and safety reg.
Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, JCPS will adopt a new student assignment plan to allow students to go to schools closer to home. Do you support this plan or would you change anything about it? Please explain.
Linda Duncan
No answer provided
Gregory P. Puccetti
The new assignment plan is a long overdue step in the right direction, but it still does not allow most students the choice to attend the school that is closest to their home. Neighborhood schools are the hallmark of a community, and we must allow parents and students to attend schools in their own neighborhood and not bussed to distant neighborhoods.
Matthew Singleton
It is a start in the right direction, but make it consistent across county. Dirt is not skin color. localize busing will save money and bring parents closer to schools.
With the passage of House Bill 9 in the 2022 General Assembly, JCPS will be required to authorize a charter school by 2023. What role do you believe charter schools should play in the district in the future?
Linda Duncan
No answer provided
Gregory P. Puccetti
The charter school concept is an evolving element in the JCPS school system. Care must be taken to ensure that the attendance policy is equitable and transparent. Charter schools can provide good competition for traditional public schools and ensure that no school becomes complacent when it comes to student learning.
Matthew Singleton
Charter schools can work in harmony with magnet schools and trade schools. We need to make career readiness the highest priority of high school education.
How should JCPS appropriate funds to address facility needs throughout the district, particularly in light of aging buildings?
Linda Duncan
No answer provided
Gregory P. Puccetti
Assessments of all school facilities must be examined and priorities for repair and renovation must ne set. The condition of the building, not the age of building should not be the primary concern. Dupont Manual high school is one of the oldest buildings in the district, but it is well maintained and has fantastic student achievement.
Matthew Singleton
This is a two bit scam! We spend more on the buildings than we do on educating the youth! Minimalize the construction, our economy is in a freefall, kids need homes more than school buildings people are moving out of the county due to out of control spending. Also keep tax money in the county we could have dealt with this earlier.
As winter approaches, experts expect a rise in COVID-19 cases that could drive Jefferson County into the “red” category that would require masks for students, staff and visitors. Would you support this current structure or want to change it? How?
Linda Duncan
No answer provided.
Gregory P. Puccetti
Attendance in school without ineffective mask mandates should be the standard. If a parent chooses to have their child wear a mask, they should be allowed to wear one. If, for whatever reason, a parent still feels unsafe sending their child to school, online learning should always be an option.
Matthew Singleton
The Science says "NO!" Masking does not stop covid from spreading, it does increase bacteria intake. Masking should be left to individuals. If students/parents want to appeal to classes with zoom technology that is fine. These policies have damaged students chances of getting college scholarships.
District 6
Misty Glin and Corrie Shull (left to right).
What is your plan to combat learning loss by students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly students of color?
Misty Glin
JCPS students have experienced tremendous learning and social loss during COVID and NTI. Our students are further behind than they have been in 30 years. We are going to have to work hard to raise academic achievement results and that starts with focusing on the basics again of reading, writing, math, science and social studies. We need to provide more help in the classrooms and offer supplemental help outside of the classroom with tutoring centers and after school academic programs the students can participate in. This is what ESSER funds are for and we need to make sure they are being allocated to academic recovery in the schools and areas of the communities it is needed most.
Before we can even begin to help students recover from learning loss we need to make sure our schools are a safe environment for learning. Without a safe learning environment, students come to school worried more about their safety than their academic achievement. Unsafe schools are also impacting JCPS’s ability to hire and retain new teachers and faculty.
Corrie Shull (incumbent)
My plan to combat learning loss is to ensure that additional Elevate Centers be opened in community areas that have the highest need. Additionally, I will insist that JCPS continue to provide academic acceleration support to students within our school buildings and to increase collaboration with community organizations to create and sustain learning opportunities for students when JCPS is in recess.
How should the district address labor shortages, specifically in recruiting and hiring teachers and bus drivers?
Misty Glin
To address labor shortages we much understand the root of the problem. I have found when talking to former and current teachers many do not feel safe or supported in their classrooms. We have to encourage an environment that is free from violence and harassment. We need to train and arm SRO’s that are now mandated by law, make sure all weapons are removed from the schools, and all students follow a code of discipline that has consequences when discipline is not followed. We must value and show respect for our teachers and bus drivers which creates a good work culture. Going into a school each day is no different than going into an office in corporate America. Employees want to feel welcomed, safe, and part of the team.
We are also dealing with a basic supply and demand issue. If the teacher supply is low we are going to have to look at increasing salaries and / or creative ways to incentive teachers to come to JCPS. This is just basic economics when there is a labor shortage.
Corrie Shull
The district should address labor shortages by implementing creative strategies to attract new staff such as competitive pay, incentives and decreasing the administrative workload of teachers. The district must ensure that staff feel valued as professionals, supported in their roles and enabled to achieve work-life balance.
Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, JCPS will adopt a new student assignment plan to allow students to go to schools closer to home. Do you support this plan or would you change anything about it? Please explain.
Misty Glin
Yes, the new reassignment plan is a good start to fixing a very old and broken system that is no longer working. I am happy that we are offering students the opportunity to go to schools closer to their homes, but we aren’t fully giving all students an opportunity. School choice should be exactly that, a choice. Going to schools closer to your home allows for more parental involvement, more after school activities, less time on the bus and a stronger community. I would change this reassignment plan to allow ALL JCPS students a choice in where they want to attend school. All schools should offer the same opportunities and no school in JCPS should be labeled “bad” we need to clean up and revitalize these schools and give everyone an opportunity to learn in a school of their choice.
Corrie Shull
I was proud to vote in favor of the new Student Assignment Plan which was the product of intense collaboration between district officials and community stakeholders. The new Student Assignment Plan will give families in the West End additional choices as to where their students will attend school and ensure that more resources are allocated to Accelerated Improvement Schools and schools within the Choice Zone. Furthermore, as a result of the new Student Assignment Plan, the JCPS Magnet program will be aligned with the standards of Magnet Schools of America. I am excited to see the improvements that will be made to education in JCPS buildings when the new Student Assignment Plan is fully implemented.
With the passage of House Bill 9 in the 2022 General Assembly, JCPS will be required to authorize a charter school by 2023. What role do you believe charter schools should play in the district in the future?
Misty Glin
I believe that charter schools allow true school choice. For my entire life, the school system has tried through busing policies, magnet programs, and various academies to improve certain schools yet many of these schools are still failing our students. A charter school would allow a choice where public school is underperforming. I believe that the money should follow the student and every child even within the same family unit might have a different need or education goal. The money allocated by the state is for students and should be used for what each individual student thinks is in their best interest.
Corrie Shull
I am focused on ensuring that the public education system is as strong as possible. When the time comes for the JCPS Board of Education to determine the most practical way to be in compliance with the dictates of the General Assembly, we will discharge our duties with fidelity.
How should JCPS appropriate funds to address facility needs throughout the district, particularly in light of aging buildings?
Misty Glin
The schools that are aging need to be surveyed to determine what needs to be done and at what cost. The budget needs to be reviewed and money allocated where necessary in a prioritized list based on facility needs. With busing ending there may be a need for new schools based on a demand in the neighborhood if a local high school is at capacity with students that want to stay in their home area, then a new school will have to be built. With $2.2 billion funds money can be found to maintain buildings as well as build new ones. It is a matter of looking at the budget as a whole and seeing what needs to be cut and / or shuffled from other areas. Businesses and organizations make these tough decisions everyday and we need to do the same in JCPS. Cutting in certain areas isn’t ideal, but it is necessary to keep an organization running and operating on target.
Corrie Shull
The JCPS Facilities Committee has developed a plan to build ten new schools over the next decade. The JCPS Board of Education should follow the plan that has been developed by the Facilities Committee and attempt to exceed the plan, if possible. We should do all that we can to replace schools that are at end-of-life and update those that can be renovated. This is an issue that impacts all of JCPS and is deserving of the entire community's support.
As winter approaches, experts expect a rise in COVID-19 cases that could drive Jefferson County into the “red” category that would require masks for students, staff and visitors. Would you support this current structure or want to change it? How?
Misty Glin
JCPS currently claims to follow the CDC guidelines. However, we were shown at the beginning of this school year that that was not accurate. When JCPS decided to mandate masks during the same time the CDC “recommended” masks, we saw an outrage of parents and staff that had enough. It is important to give parents the autonomy to decide what is right for their child and their family. COVID is here to stay and we need to find a way that we can create plans that don’t violate parental rights or reduce the learning of our students. I think one current board member nailed it on the head when she said that we cannot mandate something that cannot be enforced. Making children wear masks does not allow them to properly learn to read or communicate with her teachers. We have to learn to live with COVID like we do the flu. We can no longer use COVID as an excuse to shut down schools or force students to participate in medical mandates when the outside world is going back to normal.
Corrie Shull
Every decision made by the JCPS Board of Education must be rooted in the most reliable data and the guidance of the best experts that we have access too. With COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the Board of Education must adhere to the guidance of the most well-respected, nationally-recognized, unbiased public health experts.
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