LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Dr. Marty Pollio will leave Jefferson County Public Schools Monday as one of the longest-serving superintendents of any large urban school district in the country.
He led JCPS through a turbulent era that included the COVID-19 pandemic, a busing crisis, and a construction blitz to build new schools.
“I didn’t know when I got into this job how public it would be,” Pollio said in a parting interview with WDRB. “I’d have probably told myself, you know, put on your hard hat, grab your lunch pail, because this is going to be a really, really challenging eight years.”
As the face of Kentucky’s largest school district, Pollio often wore a smile—even as he faced enormous pressure. His tenure was marked by teacher sickouts, a global pandemic, staffing shortages, and education becoming a flashpoint in political battles.
“Every time something happened, you had the feeling of, ‘Glad that’s over.’ But right around the corner was another major challenge," Pollio said.
Still, he said he’s leaving with a sense of pride—pointing to wins like the Academies of Louisville and new "explorer" programs.
“Getting a kid involved in something at school, curricular, that they love to do and want to be part of—it leads to certification," Pollio said. "We’re doing it now grades six through 12, and we’re a model for the nation.”
Pollio began his JCPS career as a teacher, then became a vice principal and principal before rising to the top job. He led with a focus on school culture and climate, believing that when students feel like they belong, teachers see better behavior, fewer fights, and higher achievement.
But he acknowledges he fell short of that vision.
State data shows two-thirds of JCPS students are not proficient in reading and math.
“No, I don’t think I moved the needle far enough," Pollio said. "I don’t know if there is a far enough—as long as you have kids not being successful.”
Pollio believes the COVID-19 pandemic was a major setback.
“I see COVID as being a two-to-three-year process for us—from being out of school for the better part of a calendar year to coming back, and kids really struggled those first 12 months back," Pollio said. "From behavior to socialization to test scores—kids really struggled.”
Despite the struggle, Pollio was named Kentucky Superintendent of the Year in 2022. The following year, he received a $75,000 raise, bringing his salary to $350,000.
After COVID, Pollio turned his focus to systemic change. He pushed to overhaul the long-standing student assignment plan in Jefferson County—aiming to give students in Louisville the option to attend schools closer to home.
“I believe what we were doing in this community was the most inequitable student assignment plan in the nation," Pollio said.
With that push came a construction boom: eight new schools either opened or broke ground under his leadership.
“New technology, new curriculum—all across the district," Pollio said. "These are changes I’m really proud of.”
But one major change, he now admits, went too far.
In August 2023, JCPS switched to nine new school start times and completely remapped bus routes—while also implementing the new student assignment plan.
“That was my toughest time,” Pollio said. “I really felt like it was my responsibility to come up with an answer so that kids weren’t missing minutes of school.”
The district didn’t have enough bus drivers to support the sweeping changes, and the first day of school spiraled into chaos. Some students were hours late, some never got picked up at all, and others didn’t make it home until 10 p.m.
“I take responsibility for what happened on that first day,” Pollio said. “If I could go back in time, I would have probably taken a slower approach to the new start times and phased it in over 12 months.”
In the midst of the confusion, Pollio was absent from the public eye. On the day after the busing meltdown he issued a recorded apology and canceled school until the transportation system could be stabilized.
When he returned the following day, he was pressed about his absence during a press conference and responded emotionally.
“I was a dad yesterday, if that’s what you’re asking me," Pollio said. "My family has suffered a great deal from me having this job. I think that is really an unbelievable question. I drove my daughter to college while I worked the entire time. I was a dad yesterday morning, on the phone the entire time, dropped her off at college, and came back and worked the entire time.”
Looking back, Pollio calls it another "tough moment." He doesn't regret taking his daughter to college but admits he could’ve responded differently.
“I was very passionate about it. If I could reflect, I might have dialed it down a little bit—but I think I got a lot of feedback from people who respected my decision," Pollio said.
The fallout from the busing failures lingered. JCPS later cut routes to most magnet and traditional schools. While some students regained transportation through the hiring of TARC drivers, the district also paid $12 million in stipends to families who had to drive their kids to school.
Some critics called for Pollio to resign over the transportation crisis. But he insists he was not forced out.
Even though he's in his mid-50s, Pollio said his 2025 departure had been planned for years—he’s reached 30 years in the Kentucky Teacher Retirement System.
“You get to a point where you know it doesn’t necessarily behoove you to continue on.”
Pollio believes staffing shortages are the biggest challenge JCPS will face in the years ahead.
“Teacher shortages are the biggest issue,” he said.
He warned that it leads to schools hiring underqualified candidates—or worse, no applicants at all. That results in full-time substitutes, rotating instructors, or teachers covering other classes—lowering the quality of education.
But Pollio isn’t fading quietly into retirement. He starts Tuesday as the new president of the Ivy Tech Community College system in Indiana.
The JCPS Board has hired Dr. Brian Yearwood as his replacement. Yearwood most recently served as superintendent of Columbia Public Schools in Missouri.
Asked what advice he would give to his successor, Pollio didn’t hesitate.
“You’ve got to have really thick skin in this community," Pollio said. "You’re going to take some shots and some arrows, and that’s okay. That’s what you sign up to do here. Know it’s coming, and keep your eye on what’s most important—what’s best for kids.”
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