Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky)


Jefferson County Public Schools is a public school district located in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and operating all but one of the public schools in the county. It is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Education, which selects and hires a superintendent, who serves as the system's chief executive.
JCPS operates 167 schools with 96,000 students, making it the 29th-largest school district in the United States. In 2020–21 the system had a $1.8 billion budget and more than 18,000 employees. With a fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles, it operates one of the 10 largest transportation systems in the nation. Jefferson County's total population stands at approximately 760,000 — by far the largest in Kentucky.

Board of education

The seven members of the Jefferson County Board of Education are elected by general election to four-year terms. Each board member is responsible for an area of Jefferson County and the schools contained therein. The Superintendent, Dr. Marty Pollio, serves as secretary to the board at all meetings. The current board members are Diane Porter, Dr. Chris Kolb, James Craig, Joseph Marshall, Linda Duncan, Rev. Daniel Corrie Shull, and Sarah McIntosh.
The board was very proactive in year 2011 and into 2012 regarding the request for a curriculum management audit, and work on a much needed strategic plan. The results of the audit were published in January 2012. The board reviewed the report and with board support Hargens followed through on the recommendations. The Strategic Plan-Vision 2015 was approved by the board on May 29, 2012. The process beginning at a much needed board retreat in October 2011 resulted in this important document. In addition, in 2011 the board approved Board Operating Principles to improve board governance.

Schools

High school (grades 9–12)

Public education in the Louisville area dates to 1829 and the beginning of the Louisville Public School District. In 1838 a separate county school system began operating. In 1975 the two systems were merged by court order.

Louisville Public School District (1829–1975)

On April 24, 1829, the City of Louisville established the first public schools for children under sixteen years of age. A board of trustees was selected, and Edward Mann Butler was selected as the first head. The first school began operation in the upper story of a Baptist church on the SW corner of Fifth and Green Streets. The next year, the first public school building in the Louisville Public School District was erected at Fifth and Walnut. This property was purchased from one of the trustees for $2,100. Though Louisville's charter called provided for the establishment of free schools, the school established at Fifth and Walnut charged primary grades $1.00 per quarter of instruction and all other grades $1.50. Tuition was waived if the trustees felt a child was unable to pay. Instruction was given using the Lancastrian system of teaching, wherein higher-level students taught the younger while the teacher and assistants supervised and instructed these higher-level students.
After a few years, the state granted half of the property of the Jefferson Seminary for use in constructing a "High School College." By 1838, the city of Louisville had a full-service school system. Tuition was abolished for all Louisville residents in 1851, and 1856, Male High School and Female High School opened their doors. From 1851 until 1871, 17 schools were erected on 20 lots. School enrollment grew from 4,303 at the beginning of that time period to 13,503 at the end. In 1870, the first public schools in the city for African Americans were established in the Center Street African Methodist Church and the First Street African Baptist Church. The first school building for African American students was dedicated on October 7, 1873. At the end of the 1896–7 school year, enrollment reached 26,242. Ten years later, the school system's enrollment was 29,211. In 1912, the Louisville Public School District began annexing property in Jefferson County which had already been annexed by city government, bringing enrollment to 45,841 by the 1956 school year, the last year of segregated education in the public schools. In its final year as a separate school district, enrollment was 40,939.

Common Schools of Jefferson County/Jefferson County School District (1838–1975)

The Common Schools of Jefferson County school district was established by an act of state legislature in 1838. As of an 1840 report by the Superintendent of Public Education for the state, there were 30 schools in this district. In this report, the "whole population" of Jefferson County was figured at 36,310, with 5,843 of ages 5 to 15 and 3,744 from 7 to 17.
626 was reported as the number of students "at school." In 1850, 561 children were listed as attending six-month schools and 130 were listed as attending three-month schools. In the 1876–7 school year, 58 schools were reported for white children and 10 for black children.
In 1884, a state Board of Education was created and a county superintendent elected by popular vote to replace the appointed commissioner. In 1920 21 22 23 24 25, the County Administration Law was passed by state legislature, requiring the appointment of the superintendent by the Board of Education. Enrollment in the Jefferson County Schools in 1956 was 36,308. In the last year separate from Louisville Schools, enrollment was 89,405.