LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A group of Kentucky House Republicans sent an open letter to Jefferson County Public Schools students, parents and teachers Thursday calling Wednesday's massive bus issues an "epic failure," saying the district "failed in its most fundamental obligation, which is to keep our kids safe."

The letter, signed by 12 representatives and senators from across the state, called for five immediate actions items in response to what JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio called a "transportation disaster that ... was truly unacceptable."

Wednesday was the first day of school for JCPS students. However, some students didn't get home until almost 10 p.m. amid new bus routes and school start times. At 5:13 a.m. Thursday, JCPS parents got a text alert that said school would be canceled on Thursday, Aug. 10, and Friday, Aug. 11, an effort by the district to fix the issues.

"This is the last straw," House Republicans wrote. "This community has talked for years about the need for structural changes, but nothing has really changed. Sadly, it is undeniable that the priorities of this school board are not the safety and academic excellence of our students. So here is our plan, and we welcome ideas from all of you."

That plan calls for five items:

  • Rep. Kevin Bratcher, R-Jefferson, will re-file his bill where all students by law will have the right to attend their neighborhood schools.
    • "We will all cosponsor that bill," the letter said. "This will go a long way to reducing the need for so many buses and transporting students across the county.
  • Call for a commission to evaluate splitting up JCPS.
    • "With nearly 100,000 students and 165 schools, the district is too big to properly manage," the letter said.
  • Call for extensive changes to our school board
    • "(The board has) shown that it is not up to the task of managing our $2 billion school district," the letter said.
  • Support school choice
    • "Parents (will be empowered) to have more control over the education of their children," the letter said. "To that end, we support putting a school choice amendment on the 2024 ballot for the voters to decide. We believe in funding students, not systems.
  • Call on the governor to call the General Assembly
    • "... for the purpose of immediately enacting the above policies and to take other steps to protect students and support parents in Jefferson County," the letter said.

JCPS spokeswoman Carolyn Callahan said the district would use the next four days to "make fixes to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff." Superintendent Marty Pollio released a video statement early Thursday morning, apologizing to students, parents and staff for the problems on the first day.

"That is a huge district for seven board members and a billion dollar budget for seven board members," Bratcher said. "It's just out of whack. It needs to be split into at least two, maybe three smaller districts."

Thursday afternoon, John Stovall, president of the union that represents bus drivers for JCPS said he believes classes should be canceled through next week to help sort out the logistics. Stovall said he's heard frustration and anger from his drivers that were out as late as 10 p.m. Wednesday. He said the drivers had no input on the new routes, fearing they wouldn't make it in time.

"They're going from one end of town all the way to the other end of town all for one student," he said. "... This is not going to work. They feel like they've been set up for failure."

JCPS recently started using a program developed by a firm called AlphaRoute out of Massachusetts to help with planning routes and assigning bus stop locations. The program — developed by graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — uses artificial intelligence to generate the routes with the intent of reducing the number of routes. JCPS had 730 routes last year, and that was cut to 600 beginning this year.

JCPS is not the first district to use AlphaRoute software. Columbus City Public Schools, the largest district in Ohio, spent $1.5 million on the software. But it stopped using it as its main software after last school year because it was causing so many issues.

"Don't take it out on the bus drivers. They're just doing their job," Stovall said. "They're just as upset as you are about it — your kids being late — because they want to get their kids home or their grandkids."

Thursday's letter was signed by:

  • Rep. Kevin Bratcher
  • Rep. Jared Bauman
  • Rep. Emily Callaway
  • Rep. John Hodgson
  • Rep. Ken Fleming
  • Rep. Jason Nemes
  • Rep. Susan Witten
  • Sen. Matt Deneen
  • Sen. Julie Raque Adams
  • Sen. Mike Nemes
  • Sen. Lindsey Tichenor
  • Sen. Adrienne Southworth

"In sum, yesterday’s debacle must be the catalyst for change," the letter said. "Our school district has failed for far too long. For the good of our community and, most importantly, for the future of our children, we must act boldly. And we must act now."

Gov. Andy Beshear's deputy communications director Scott Ellis said in a statement: "A special session is an extraordinary step that costs significant tax dollars and should only be taken after full consensus is reached and legislation has been drafted and then agreed upon. Thus far, no legislator has contacted the Governor’s office directly about this."

Kentucky Sen. David Yates said, "It’s fairly clear that the underlying miscalculation was exacerbated by significant changes to bus routing and a severe driver shortage."

Yates also said he has been reaching out to local officials in hopes that the state will be more "actively engaged" in resolving these challenges.

"While there must be a certain level of patience during this time of transition, there must also be significant oversight and accountability," he said in a statement. "As we look to the coming weeks, I will request to be kept closely involved."

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