LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools released a draft Wednesday of the proposed overhaul of its student assignment plan.
The district, which first released details of its proposed March 22, is currently gathering feedback on the proposal, which is expected to be considered by the Jefferson County Board of Education by June.
"This is the work product of years of discussion, research and input, and is without a doubt one of the most significant steps our district can take to create a more successful environment for our students," JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said in a statement. "Because this is such a critical step in the future of our district, we want to be fully transparent with our families about how this proposal would impact them and their children."
"Choice zones" proposed as part of the JCPS student assignment proposed update.
The 307-page proposal shifts school boundaries to align elementary, middle and high school pathways for families and creating “choice zones” in and near Louisville’s west end so students can either attend a new west Louisville middle school and the Academy @ Shawnee close to their homes or another middle and high school based on their addresses.
The district expects such changes will cut the number of “feeder patterns,” or the flow of students from kindergarten through their senior years of high school, from 90 to 27.
The current JCPS student assignment plan (left) compared to the proposed student assignment plan (right)
"Choice zone" schools are slated to share $12 million in additional investments, including pay increases for certified teachers and classified staff negotiated between the district and their respective labor unions, according to the plan.
"Choice zone" schools are the Academy @ Shawnee, a new West End middle school, Atkinson Elementary, Breckinridge-Franklin Elementary, Byck Elementary, Cochran Elementary, Engelhard Elementary, Kennedy Montessori Elementary, King Elementary, Maupin Elementary, McFerran Preparatory Academy, Portland Elementary and Wheatley Elementary.
At Shawnee, the district's plan includes optional investments totaling $2.5 million per year for expanded summer learning opportunities specifically at the school, more dual-credit course offerings, more tutoring options, a new innovative learning lab, more counselors and mental health practitioners, smaller class sizes with 1-to-24 teacher-to-student ratios, and more.
The new middle school in west Louisville, also slated to get $2.5 million annually in supports, will join six other JCPS middle schools in the district's Explore Academies program, which allows students to learn about different career fields and interests as they prepare for high school.
The middle school will utilize a Black history curriculum adopted by JCPS in 2020 and developed by LaGarrette King, who founded the University of Missouri's Carter Center for K-12 Black History Education, according to the draft proposal.
Like Shawnee, the new middle school will have teacher-to-student ratios of 1-to-24, more mental health practitioners, additional summer learning opportunities and an innovative learning plan, among other supports detailed in the proposed student assignment plan.
"Choice zone" elementary schools are slated to share $7 million per year in the plan. They, too, are proposed to get smaller class sizes with teacher-to-student ratios of 1-to-20, extended learning programs, more mental health counselors, attendance support and more tutoring opportunities, among other options detailed in the plan.
Students at the 11 elementary schools could also get exposed to career pathways and magnet programming under the proposal.
JCPS also wants to change its magnet programs as part of revisions to the student assignment plan. The district wants to prohibit magnets from initiating exits, or kicking out students from their programs, and create a centralized lottery program for admissions.
JCPS envisions expanding its magnet programming through new programs and replicating popular ones so more students can enroll as part of the plan, which will begin taking effect for the 2023-24 school year for incoming students in kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade if approved. The district also hopes to increase diversity in magnet programs' enrollments by setting targets and goals for them.
The district's traditional high schools -- Male and Butler -- will also have enrollment boundaries starting in the 2024-25 school year, according to the plan.
The current enrollment situation at the schools, with many more traditional students selecting Male instead of Butler, is "unsustainable," the student assignment proposal says. Far more eighth graders in the district's traditional program selected Male, 704, compared to Butler, 78, for enrollment in the 2022-23 school year, according to the district's draft plan.
"This will align with the use of boundaries at every other level of the Traditional program and allow for balancing of enrollment at the two schools," the plan says of creating enrollment boundaries for Male and Butler.
JCPS also wants to create a community accountability team comprised mostly of people not employed by the district to review the revised student assignment plan's implementation and impacts, according to the proposal.
Members of the team will include parents, students, teachers, classified employees, administrators and community members who represent different geographic areas of Jefferson County, reflect racial and ethnic demographics of Jefferson County, and have demonstrated commitment to racial equity in education, the district's plan says.
The district’s draft of its student assignment proposal can be found at this link.
To see proposed JCPS school assignments based on your address, click this link.
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