LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Never-before-seen footage of an interview with former Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio paints a very different picture of the district’s finances than what has since emerged as a nearly $200 million budget deficit.
In his final interview with WDRB in June, Pollio appeared confident about the district’s financial stability, saying there was a plan to balance the books.
“We knew COVID dollars were ending. We knew there was going to be a shortfall we were going to have to correct," Pollio said at the time of the interview.
The former superintendent, who retired this summer after eight years in the position, predicted the district would need to cut $40 million the next fiscal year, describing it as a “soft landing.” But this fall, district leaders revealed a much larger problem. JCPS now faces a $188 million deficit, and is considering selling off assets to cover teacher salaries.
Current Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood said next year’s budget will require $132 million in cuts — about $90 million more than what Pollio had projected.
JCPS spending on support services has surged since 2015, with business costs tripling and administrative expenses nearly doubling.
In June, Pollio said the district had a plan to phase out federal COVID relief money and had intentionally spent down part of its $400 million reserve on one-time expenses.
“This was completely planned out," he said. "This was a part of spending down the reserves and coming off of COVID, so not a surprise at all.”
However, Tuesday night Yearwood said the district did not have a plan to reduce spending when the federal money ran out.
“We added programs, positions, things like that, and so when the funds ended, we just did not have a plan to actually make cuts,” he said.
District records show overspending began long before COVID. JCPS has run deficits nearly every year for the past decade — except in 2022, when a surge of one-time federal aid temporarily balanced the budget.
From 2015 to 2024, district revenues increased by 45%, while spending rose by 57%. Property taxes — JCPS’ largest funding source — grew sharply, with the assessed value of taxable property rising from $444 million in 2015 to nearly $756 million in 2024, a 70% increase.
The district’s borrowing costs rose 42% from 2015 to 2024. Student and district administrative support services nearly doubled since 2015. Business support services tripled in spending.
JCPS has attributed the current shortfall to its reliance on temporary COVID relief funds, but financial data suggests a deeper, long-term spending problem.
Pollio has not responded to multiple requests for an updated interview.
WDRB asked the district why Pollio's number of cuts was much lower than Yearwood's, but as of this article's publication the district had not responded.
Before JCPS, Dr. Brian Yearwood led a Missouri district now pushing to cap superintendent payouts after his $650,000 deal.
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