During the JCPS Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, March 18, board members reviewed the new music policy and heard updates on the search for a new superintendent.
Recognitions
The JCPS Board of Education began their March 18 meeting by recognizing several exemplary students and faculty members.
Longtime JCPS educator Faith Stroud, Director of Leadership and Professional Development, won the National Alliance of Black School Educators Distinguished Educator Award in recognition of her exceptional leadership and impact in the education field.
The Board of Education recognized JCPS bus driver Larry Elliott for the kindness he shows to students.
Additionally, 25 JCPS educators earned National Board Certification in 2024 through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, including Manual teachers Mr. Conner Kinmon (Band) and Ms. Nicole Weeks (Math).
The Board of Education also recognized 15th District PTA Spelling Bee champion Zachary Rara, second place winner Ahaan Aragwal and third place winner Gabe Fajardo Cruz.
The board celebrated Manual senior Jilly Choi for being named a top 300 scholar in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search
Superintendent’s Report
In his Superintendent’s Report, Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio focused on music instruction in JCPS, especially inequities in access to orchestra.
Currently, 32 schools, including 4 high schools, 6 middle schools and 22 elementary schools, in JCPS do not have access to orchestra or instrumental music.
Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, every elementary school will have access to instrumental music and all middle and high schools will have access to orchestra programs. This will be possible by the addition of 13 music teachers who will split their time between two schools.
The instrumental music budget for elementary schools will increase to $951,172 for the 25-26 school year, an increase of $937,407 from the current school year’s budget. The orchestra budget for secondary schools will increase to $583,292 for the 25-26 school year, an increase of $268,402.
However, not all JCPS stakeholders support this restructuring.
“You, JCPS, are making the choice to transfer these directors outside of their chosen schools and experience levels, without talking to them,” a senior at Louisville Male High School said.
Superintendent search progress
At the end of the 24-25 school year, Dr. Pollio will retire. Over the next several months, the members of the board and the Superintendent Screening Committee will work to hire a new superintendent. Members of the Superintendent Screening Committee elected Maddie Shepard, current Jefferson County Teachers Association, to serve as their chair, beginning March 17.
Mr. Micah Ali, from the HYA educational consultant group, presented the progress in the search for a new superintendent during the meeting. Ali has led the data collection process to find what qualities JCPS stakeholders find most important in the new superintendent. With his team, he interviewed, surveyed and conducted focus groups to find that 33% of stakeholders prioritize a superintendent who “promotes the academic achievement of all students.”
The board will meet with Ali on April 24 and 25 to go about the work of ranking candidates for the superintendent role.
Guardrail 4
The board heard about the progress in JCPS in regards to Guardrail 4, which aims to eliminate inequitable resource allocation for Exceptional Child Education (ECE) and Multilingual learners (ML). Guardrail 4 is divided into 3 subcategories: ECE Least Restrictive Environment, English Language Progress and Technology Support.
Despite the attention JCPS has given to Guardrail 4, the percentage of ECE students who are in a Least Restrictive Environment, or a learning arrangement that best suits the student, has decreased from 2023 to 2024. Additionally, a lower proportion of ML students showed growth in their English proficiency in the 2023-24 school year than 2022-23.
Evolve502
Evolve502 is a community-focused organization committed to creating a path to higher education for Louisville’s youth especially by creating scholarship opportunities for community colleges that are available to JCPS seniors.
Representatives from Evolve502 spoke to the board about the many seniors who have already applied to receive the scholarship. From Manual, 14 students in the class of 2025 have applied to receive scholarships to start community college in the fall.
Classified Staff
During the opportunity for community members to share their opinions with the board, several people working as classified staff, like teaching assistants, bus drivers and more, made the argument for increased wages.
The next JCPS Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
