LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Members of the Jefferson County Board of Education said Monday they found out about a proposal to redraw boundaries to address overcrowding at a Louisville middle school when parents did.
Echo Trail Middle School opened three years ago to relieve overcrowding in east Louisville, but officials with Jefferson County Public Schools said faster growth than projected, combined with more families choosing their reside school after bus cuts, has left the school struggling.
The district's proposed fix would move the boundary north of Interstate 64 and west of Valhalla Golf Club, sending students previously in the zone to Crosby Middle School, which has space to spare. Many parents said the new line doesn’t make sense, and accused the district of hiding the plan from them.
JCPS said it has been studying boundary changes for 18 months, but parents said they only learned about it two weeks ago when it appeared on a Jefferson County Board of Education agenda for a vote. The board decided to table it for a later date.
During a meeting Monday, board members said they found out about the plan when parents did.
One board member said Monday he found out about the plan from a community member.
"This discussion got kickstarted when a community member reached out to me as they were making a decision about where to move over the summer, and they had heard there was a chance the Echo Trail boundary line would be redrawn," board member James Craig said. "And so I asked operations to give me a report at that time ..."
Some JCBE members are meeting with JCPS' Chief Operations Officer Rob Fulk next Friday to talk about community concerns.
The board must also approve any boundary changes.
Previous Coverage:
JCPS data shows which schools in Louisville are most overcrowded
Parents at Echo Trail Middle School accuse JCPS of hiding plan to change boundaries
New JCPS middle school already overcrowded as proposed boundary change sparks pushback
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