LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Future plans for Jefferson County Public Schools will be shared on Tuesday morning.
Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio will deliver his State of the District address at 11:30 a.m. Pollio will discuss the school district's successes and challenges for the future. JCPS is the state's largest school district, educating around 96,000 students.
The address comes as the Jefferson County Board of Education weighs its options for transportation next school year as it looks for a solution to issues that have plagued Louisville's public school system since the start of this school year.
The options: settle for the current status of students missing millions of instructional minutes, reduce number of bus stops by having some students be picked up from a central location or no longer provide transportation for some students.
The board is set to take the next month to decide on a new transportation plan for Jefferson County Public Schools, but the debate is just beginning.
JCPS currently has 558 drivers with 563 routes. On top of that, 52 drivers are absent daily on average, leaving the district with 506 drivers available daily.
Next school year, JCPS predicts to have 526 drivers. If the average number of call outs continue, the district would start the day with 474 drivers. JCPS goal is to have 474 routes or less a day.
JCPS said it transports around 16,000 magnet and traditional school students. If the district eliminates transportation for magnet students, JCPS is preparing half of those students to transfer to their reside school.
Students in the district lost nearly 4 million minutes of instructional time because of bus delays in the October-December period of 2023, nearly four times the instructional time lost during the same period in 2022, according to a WDRB News analysis of data obtained in a public records request.
Last year, there were only two school start times. Middle school and high schools started at 7:40 a.m., while elementary schools started at 9:05 a.m. Under the new plan, start times range from 7:40 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
The new system had a disastrous rollout in August when delays forced the cancellation of six days of school. Things have improved since then, but the new data sheds light on the issues schools continue to grapple with each day. JCPS parents regularly receive text messages notifying them of bus delays.
Pollio's address can be viewed on WDRB.com by clicking here.
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