Wednesday January 28, 2026
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This evening the Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE) announced the selection of Dr. Martin “Marty” Pollio to serve as the next superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS).
“Dr. Pollio stepped in to lead our district on an interim basis during a very difficult time,” said JCBE Board Chair Diane Porter. “During the past eight months, he’s brought stability, reenergized our district and focused our priorities on what our schools and staff need to make all students successful. I know his leadership at JCPS will be student-centered, student-focused and student-driven, which is just what our district needs.”
Dr. Pollio began his career with JCPS in 1997 as a social studies teacher at Shawnee High School. He went on to serve as a teacher and assistant principal at Waggener High School before taking the helm as principal of Jeffersontown High School from 2007-2015. Before taking the role of acting superintendent, Dr. Pollio was the principal of Doss High School. He took a leave of absence from that position while he served the district as acting superintendent.
“The board made a bold decision when it chose me for this position eight months ago,” Dr. Pollio said. “I plan to bring the same passion, energy and focus to work every day to create positive learning environments at all of our schools where teachers can teach and students can learn. This job is not just professional, it’s personal. For more than 20 years, I’ve dedicated my career to serving the students of JCPS and my daughter is a student in this district. Now is the time for our employees, our staff and this community to stand up and support JCPS and bring about positive change for students by working together.”
Dr. Pollio received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University. He earned his doctorate from the University of Louisville in 2012.
During his time as acting superintendent, Dr. Pollio has focused on improving climate and culture, improving organizational coherence and increasing student achievement. He’s returned budget cuts to schools, funded deeper learning priorities, opened the JCPS West Louisville Satellite Office, created an initiative to track K-12 student learning and implemented corrective action plans for issues found during previous administrations.
Dr. Pollio will serve as the sixth superintendent of JCPS since merger. The terms of Dr. Pollio’s contract are still being negotiated.
Superintendent Search Process
The Jefferson County Board of Education launched a search for superintendent after the resignation of Dr. Donna Hargens, which was effective June 30, 2017.
Dr. Marty Pollio was named acting superintendent while the board searched for a permanent replacement. The board advertised the search nationally and engaged a local firm to receive community feedback and input. There were nine applications for the position, and the board named two finalists in January. The two finalists participated in four community forums.
More information about the search is available here.
Photo: JCPS
Ballard High School’s The Collage was named the best student-produced literary magazine in Kentucky, earning a ‘Superior’ rating and a nomination for the Highest Award by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The recognition is the second time in three years that the publication has taken the top ranking by NCTE’s Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines (PRESLM), and makes The Collage the highest awarded literary magazine in Jefferson County Public Schools.
Nationally, only 26 student publications, out of 372 entries, were named Highest Award recipients.
PRESLM recognizes students, teachers and schools for producing excellent literary magazines. The program aims to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines and seek excellence in writing and schoolwide participation in production.
Ballard’s in-house literary magazine has been produced and published by students, for students, since 1970, and showcases student written and artistic work in all genres, themes and grades. The magazine is a project-based learning collaboration between the creative writing classes of Michelle Livesay and the digital publishing classes of Gary Crume with student fine art submissions from Ballard art teachers Patty Bradford, Lindsey Dobson, Emily Forrester, Marcia Hageman and Sarah Kaiman.
A limited number of copies of the award-winning 2017 edition are available by contacting michelle.livesay@jefferson.kyschools.us or gary.crume@jefferson.kyshools.us.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
In an effort to stem a recent rash of violent crime in the district, Councilman Vitalis Lanshima is hosting a Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Town Hall Meeting on Monday February 12th at the Beechmont Community Center.
“There is a noticeable rise in crime in our neighborhoods, especially violent and drug related crimes. To successfully eradicate crime and create a community where all residents feel safe and proud to raise our families, we must employ a well-rounded approach that balances law enforcement with social programs, and community engagement,” says the Councilman.
This Town Hall Meeting will feature the 3rd Division Commander, Major Joshua Hasch and 4th Division Commander, Major Joshua Judah of Louisville Metro Police and the Director of the Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhood, Rashaad Abdur-Rahman.
The meeting will focus on the importance of block watch programs to work with LMPD and residents to fight crime. Information will be shared on how to create a block watch.
The Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Town Hall is set for the Beechmont Community Center, 205 West Wellington Avenue from 6:30pm to 8:00pm on February 12th.
“This Town Hall will provide an opportunity to discuss what WE all must do to create a safer community,” says Lanshima. “We will leave with an action plan by working together.”
For more information about the District 21 Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Town Hall, contact Councilman Lanshima’s office at 502-574-1121.
Mayor Greg Fischer today joined Metro Animal Services leaders and staff in celebrating a history-making 2017, which includes achieving no-kill status for time and space.
“Our city value of compassion absolutely extends to the animals that enrich our lives,” Mayor Fischer said. “That’s why I’m so proud that Metro Animal Services has achieved a live release rate above 90 percent, thanks to the hard work of the LMAS team, their partners and volunteers.
“We want to celebrate the work they’ve done, completing a really dramatic and impressive turnaround.”
The Mayor thanked the LMAS team and Director Ozzy Gibson, who has guided the agency’s turnaround since 2016.
“Since I got here, I’ve been impressed with the dedication of our team, partners and volunteers to the compassionate care of animal,” Gibson said. “We’re going to keep working hard, and we’ll stay committed to coming up with new ideas that lead to good outcomes for animals.”
Louisville Metro Animal Services, the city’s only open intake shelter, finished 2017 with a 93 percent live release rate — the best in its 52-year history.
And, for the first time, no animals were euthanized because of time or space. LMAS also found homes for 909 more cats and dogs compared to 2016 (3,141 vs 2,232).
Gibson said the launch and overwhelming success last year of the Pay It Forward Free Adoptions Program was a primary contributor to the turnaround. Pay It Forward is funded solely through donations, which allows LMAS to waive adoption fees for certain cats and dogs.
Key 2017 Animal Services stats:
Zero animals euthanized for time or space
- 90.8% live release rate for canines
- 93.8% live release rate for felines
- 37% increase in animal returned to owners
- 41% increase in animal adoptions
More information about Animal Services and Pay It Forward can be found at:https://louisvilleky.gov/government/animal-services.
Construction work has begun at Boone Square to replace the outdated restroom building in the 126 year old park. Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Louisville Parks and Recreation are investing $400,000 to make improvements to Louisville’s first park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. In addition, Boone Square will have new area lighting, connecting sidewalks, and a new water fountain.
Boone Square is a four acre parcel in the Portland Neighborhood. Prior to becoming park land, in 1865, it was the site for the first organized baseball game in Louisville. In 1891, the land was gifted to the city by Eliza Boone, a descendent of Captain William P. Boone and original owner, and became the first park in Louisville to be designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
The park became known for recreation activities including handicrafts, volleyball and story hour for children. The park also included a wading pool, swings and seesaws. In the mid-1960s, the city built a new baseball diamond and basketball court which increased the use of the park. More improvements were made in 1982, when Trees Inc. planted 59 trees and with a $150,000 investment by the Boone Square Park Association.
In the last several years, more trees were planted and a portion of the historical wall was restored, thanks to financial support from donors of Olmsted Parks Conservancy including James Graham Brown Foundation, along with support from City of Louisville, Mayor Greg Fischer, Councilwoman Cheri Bryant- Hamilton and Louisville Parks and Recreation.
Domestic violence victims at the greatest risk of lethal assault will continue to have an outlet for help, thanks to Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell and $152,450 in federal grant money.
This is the second year Jefferson County has received increased funds from the national Victim of Crimes Act (VOCA) after years of receiving approximately $50,000 annually. Previous funds paid for one victim advocate position and support services. O’Connell pushed for last year’s three-fold increase and hired two new positions with the additional funds, including one victim advocate whose sole focus is victims at a high risk of lethality.
“This second straight award of increased funding demonstrates the expertise and support we provide to victims of domestic violence,” said Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell. “The continuation of these additional federal dollars cements my office’s commitment to domestic violence victims at the greatest risk of deadly abuse,” said Jefferson County Mike O’Connell.
The victim advocates work out of the Domestic Violence Intake Center (DVIC) at the Hall of Justice. Opened in April 2001, the DVIC was the result of local criminal justice and community partners’ commitment to supporting victims seeking legal action. Founding partners included the Jefferson County Attorney’s office, the office of the Circuit Court Clerk (OCCC), LMPD, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office, the Center for Women and Families and the National Council for Jewish Women, among others.
In 2009, O’Connell’s first full year in office, the DVIC was relocated to an expanded space of approximately 2,500 square feet. Prior to expansion, only victims seeking both an emergency protective order (EPO) and criminal complaint received services in the DVIC. After expansion, EPO clerks from the OCCC moved all functions permanently to the DVIC.
Now, all domestic violence victims seeking any type of offered legal service are directly assisted in the DVIC. The Jefferson County Attorney’s office provides victim advocates to meet with all victims 96 hours each week, from 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m. each week day and 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on weekends. Combining all services in one centralized location has resulted in significant increases in clients obtaining needed advocacy services.
O’Connell operates two specialty units for criminal prosecution: domestic violence and DUI. Since 2014, the DV unit has prosecuted nearly 12,000 domestic violence and sexual assault cases, earning a 90.7 percent conviction rate. Nearly 40 members of O’Connell’s staff are involved with domestic violence cases on a daily basis.
The Center for Women and Families honored O’Connell with its Public Service Award last October. O’Connell joined a list of notable recipients of the award, including Jerry Abramson, David Armstrong, Judi Patton, Anne Northrup and John Yarmuth, that was first given in 1991.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
In an effort to keep Metro Louisville’s public golf courses sustainable financially, Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14) is sponsoring an ordinance calling for a modest increase in greens fees this year.
“I want everyone in the Louisville area to be able to enjoy our public courses. These courses are the hub of our communities, providing senior and junior programming close to their homes as well as golf scrambles supporting many of our nonprofits,” says Fowler.
The Councilwoman is proposing a modest $2 green fee increase at high utilized courses and $1 at all other courses. Additional changes include military discounts and senior age limits reduced to 60 years from 62 years old.
“The last time we had an increase to help sustain golf was in 2007 with a 50 cent increase every other year. However, we have just not kept up with the demands of maintenance and other repairs,” says Fowler. “In order to keep public golf courses open in underutilized areas we must ask the help of the more widely used courses.”
Under the proposed ordinance, here are the proposed fee increases:
Seneca and Charlie Vettiner will go from $14.50 to $15.50 on weekdays and $17 to $19 on weekends in the summer. In winter, $12 to $12.50 on weekdays, $13.25 to $14 on weekends.
At Sun Valley, Shawnee, Long Run and Iroquois in summer, the fee would go from $13.25 to $14 on weekdays and $15.75 to $17 on weekends. In the winter, $10.75 to $11 on weekdays, $12 to $12.50 on weekends.
At Bobby Nichols and Cherokee in summer the fee would go from $12 to $13 on weekdays and $13.25 to $14 on weekends. In winter, $9.75 to $10 on weekdays, $9.75 to $10 on weekends.
Finally, Crescent Hill’s Hill nine hole course in the summer would go from $13.25 to $14 on weekdays and $15.75 to $16. In the winter the fee would go from $10.75 to $11 on weekdays and $12 to $12.50.
“It is my belief that public courses provide a service to our communities and to make them sustainable we must provide that service as whole entity. This will bring the needed revenue to bring public golf as a whole into the black.”
The proposed ordinance has been assigned to the Metro Council’s Parks and Sustainability Committee which is chaired by Councilwoman Fowler. The Committee will hold its next meeting on Thursday, February 8th.
