LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) revised its plan to cut costs in the division that serves students with disabilities, scaling back some of the most significant reductions after board members rejected an earlier proposal.
The changes come after the JCPS Board of Education voted down the initial plan earlier this month, directing Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood to work with stakeholder groups and return with a revised proposal.
Several board members said they opposed the plan because of concerns about how decisions were made — and because some employees, particularly those represented by the Jefferson County Teachers Association, had their contract days protected while others did not.
Under the revised plan, several positions would no longer see cuts to their contract days — meaning those employees would no longer be required to work a shorter year or lose pay tied to those reductions.
Those positions include:
- CEIS Mental Health Practitioners, who support students needing additional help but not currently in special education
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Therapists
- Therapist Assistants
- Speech Language Liaisons
Other positions would still see reduced contract days, but the cuts are smaller than initially proposed.
Those include:
- School Psychologists
- Audiologists
- CEIS Behavior Support Specialists
- Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs)
Another notable change involves the Lead Psychologist position. The district initially proposed eliminating the role entirely, but the revised plan brings it back with a reduced contract — cutting the position from a 260-day role to 220 days.
Some changes remained the same in both proposals — including the elimination of the Chief of Exceptional Child Education and the Executive Administrator roles.
That change comes after concerns from staff, who argued the position plays a critical leadership role and questioned whether decision makers fully understood the work school psychologists do.
The ECE organizational chart saw the most iterations of any division.
The JCPS Board of Education is expected to vote on the revised proposal at its March 31 meeting.
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