LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Thousands of Jefferson County Public Schools students may have to find their own way to school next year.
The district said it's the only idea that would fix the problem of buses running hours late as it weighs its options to fix to transportation issues that have persisted since the 2023-24 school year began last August.
The main focus for the district right now is whether to provide transportation or not, and to which students.
JCPS is weighing three different options:
- No longer provide buses for students who attend magnet and traditional schools, and only transport students who attend reside schools or an A5 school and students who require transportation under federal law, such as students experiencing homelessness or students in special education.
- Operate central hubs where magnet and traditional students could get bused to school from a drop-off point instead of from their neighborhoods
- Keep the current system and its associated delays
The district said the only option that would cut long bus delays is cutting out transportation for magnet and traditional school students.
"We commit to having less routes than drivers available, which will translate to on-time service for all resides students," said JCPS' Interim Chief Operations Officer Rob Fulk. "This is the only solution that the operations division has found that will reduce routes."
Magnet and traditional schools in the district are spread all over Jefferson County. The interactive map below shows where those schools are and their enrollment numbers.
Manual High School has an enrollment of over 1,900. JCPS said 22,000 students are enrolled in magnets, traditional schools and Academies of Louisville. Of that, 16,000 are estimated to be bus riders who could lose their transportation.
Some parents have voiced concerns about not wanting their child to go to their resides school. Resides schools are set by boundary lines and aren't necessarily the school closest to your house.
"I will say, there were concerns around racial equity when it comes to transportation, there's no doubt about that," said JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio.
But some district leaders have additional concerns.
"We don't need to move forward with any option that has concerns around racial equity, that undermines our commitment as a district," District 6 Board member Corrie Shull said during a Jefferson County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday.
JCPS said it's also working with the Transit Authority of River City to help ease the number of kids taking a JCPS bus to school.
"They have been receptive, along with the mayor, with providing a plan," Pollio said. "This will be part of (a) presentation. The plan is to provide any middle school or high school student who would like a TARC pass, they'd be able to use that TARC pass anytime, along with ensuring that every one of our middle and high school schools has a stop within the proximity of the school, which we do not have now."
The district is asking the board to vote on a decision in March, to help give families time to prepare and to allow its internal routing team to start working on routes as soon as possible.
Related Stories:
- JCPS board continues weighing transportation options amid concerns over limiting students' access to magnet schools
- JCPS says only 1 plan will solve its bus driver shortage next year. Here's how it would work.
- JCPS school board will discuss eliminating bus routes at Tuesday's meeting
- JCPS bus delays much worse under new start times, data shows
- JCPS board will consider these options to fix bus debacle in February, superintendent says
- Bill would allow Kentucky public school employees to drive students to and from school in passenger vehicles
- JCPS says transportation not guaranteed for all students next school year
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
