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Members of the Louisville Metro Council will host a formal reception to congratulate and welcome Dr. Marty Pollio as the new Superintendent of the Jefferson County Public Schools on Monday, April 23rd.
“This is an opportunity for Council members to meet with Dr. Pollio as we look forward to working with him and assisting anyway we can in educating the children of Jefferson County,” says President David James (D-6). “I support Dr. Pollio and the dynamic changes he is making for JCPS to improve education in Jefferson County.”
The formal reception will be held in the First Floor Conference Room of Historic City Hall, 601 West Jefferson Street beginning at 5:30pm.
Scarlet’s Bakery, an organization which works with victims of human trafficking and domestic abuse, will provide the appetizers for the reception.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) today, in compliance with state law and regulations, released its Request for Charter School Applications (RFCSA), opening its inaugural—and the state’s first—application period for charter schools wishing to open in the 2019-20 school year. The two-month application window runs through June 15.
Prospective applicants should review the RFCSA for application materials, technical requirements and due dates. The RFCSA and accompanying materials can be found here.
Applicants can take advantage of technical assistance opportunities offered by JCPS throughout the application period. Each application will be reviewed based on its merit against the rubric published in the RFCSA. There is no incentive in submitting an application early.
The Jefferson County RFCSA will include the Kentucky Charter School Application as well as additional questions specific to community needs in Jefferson County. In addition, the RFCSA will include more information about the form, format and information required for the completion of the application.
For more information, applicants may contact Cassie Blausey, director of school choice for JCPS, at cassiopia.blausey@jefferson.kyschools.us or (502) 485-3138.
Registration is now open for Camp Ready4K, the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District’s kindergarten readiness camp serving incoming students the summer before they start school.
Applications must be completed by May 11 in order to be considered for Camp Ready4K. Camp will be held July 9 through July 27, from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., at the following locations:
- Alex R. Kennedy Elementary School (4515 Taylorsville Road)
- Dawson Orman Education Center (900 S Floyd St.)
- DuValle Education Center (3610 Bohne Ave.)
- Hazelwood Elementary (1325 Bluegrass Ave.)
- McFerran Early Childhood (1900 S 7th St.)
- Shacklette Elementary (5310 Mercury Dr.)
- Unseld Learning Center (5216 Ilex Ave. )
Families can complete an application online here. During the camp, incoming kindergarten students receive instruction from early learning teachers to ensure that they have the skills necessary to be successful in kindergarten. Students are also provided with breakfast and lunch.
For more information, families may call the Dawson Orman Education Center at 485-7121.
On March 27, the Jefferson County Board of Education approved two major initiatives led by Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio that will strengthen support to students and schools: create a centralized location for the Newcomer Academy and implement the phase-one reorganization of the district’s central office.
“Both of these initiatives build on the day-one priorities I announced as acting superintendent: strengthening culture and climate, boosting student learning and improving organizational coherence,” Dr. Pollio said. “These are innovative, needed changes in our district that will continue to move JCPS forward and allow us to support students and schools more efficiently and effectively.”
Newcomer students are currently served at four different locations (Academy @ Shawnee, Phoenix School of Discovery, Iroquois High School and Gheens Academy). For the 2018-19 school year, a consolidated Newcomer Academy will open at the current Phoenix School of Discovery building on Pulliam Drive. Phoenix will move to the Jaeger Education Center on Wood Road.
“When I was named acting superintendent, I made it clear that a centralized school for Newcomer students and teachers would be a priority for the 2018-19 school year,” Dr. Pollio said. “For far too long, our district has served our growing population of Newcomer students at four separate locations. Tonight’s vote will improve services for students and is a continued investment in and commitment to our English language learners.”
The facilities changes approved tonight are in addition to those approved at the Feb. 27 board meeting, which combined the district’s two Teenage Parent Programs (TAPPs) and created an early childhood education center and a temporary home for the new W.E.B. DuBois Academy.
“This facilities plan is the result of months of planning as well as parent, teacher and community input—providing us with the opportunity to present our board with the best possible plan for students,” Dr. Pollio said.
Central office reorganization provides strengthened support to schools
In January 2018, Dr. Pollio sought recommendations from the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) on how the district’s central office structure could better support schools and reflect those of “best-practice” urban districts. The full report completed by the CGCS is available on the district’s website here.
The CGCS report provides a framework that led to the first phase of central office reorganization recommendations, which were approved tonight by the school board. The changes provide a better balance to the district’s central office and deliver resources to students and schools in a more effective and efficient way.
“I believe these initial changes in the cost-neutral reorganization will help bring about organizational coherence, better support our schools and increase student achievement,” Dr. Pollio said.
Recommendations include:
- Adding a general counsel, chief of staff, chief human resources officer and chief of schools position.
- Eliminating achievement area superintendent positions. Assistant superintendents will report to the chief of schools and be reorganized by each grade level.
- Three elementary assistant superintendents serving schools divided into zones (one through three)
- One assistant superintendent for middle schools
- One assistant superintendent for high schools
- Assistant superintendents will report to the chief of schools.
- There will be an assistant superintendent of climate and culture.
- Eliminating evaluation transition coordinator (ETC) positions and providing assistant superintendents with executive administrator positions.
- Athletics will report to the chief of schools.
- All chief positions will be the same grade.
The plan is cost neutral by eliminating the chief business officer position and other vacant positions throughout central office. Additional recommendations will be brought to the board at future meetings.
Mayor Greg Fischer was joined by officials from LMPD, Louisville Free Public Library, the Kentucky Science Center, Louisville Parks and Recreation and Jefferson County Public Schools to encourage local children to take advantage of the dozens of free and low-cost activities offered by those organizations during the upcoming spring break April 2-6.
“We want kids to enjoy the time off with their family and friends, and to come back ready to finish the school year strong,” Fischer said. “If parents and kids are looking to keep their minds and bodies stimulated the week of April 2, we have some great local programming that’s being offered through parks and recreation, the library and JCPS at low or no-cost.”
Those include camps run through parks and recreation community centers, including a free basketball clinic by former University of Louisville basketball player Robbie Valentine on April 4-5 at the South Louisville Community Center; activities that include free movie viewings, STEAM instruction, workshops, classes and more at local Louisville Free Public Library branches; and literacy classes for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders through JCPS.
“We want kids to have fun, stay safe and out of trouble during the break from school,” Fischer said. “There are several opportunities daily for them to remain active and engaged through guided programming. Hopefully the weather’s nice and they’ll be able to spend some time enjoying the outdoors as well.”
Metro Government has created a guide to the assorted spring break activities.
Ashlee Kemper, a third-grade teacher at Cochran Elementary School, has been presented with the Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership (ExCEL) Award. Representatives from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and from the award sponsors — LG&E and KU and WHAS11 — honored the teacher on March 20 during a ceremony at the school.
“Mrs. Kemper is kind and patient, all the while setting extremely high expectations for all children and holding all children accountable,” said Principal Tim Foster. “Her presence on our faculty is one of the reasons we have been able to move our school forward. She is what all principals pray for.”
Kemper is the past recipient of several educational awards, including Student Teacher of the Year at the University of Louisville and the 2014 Hilliard Lyons Teacher of the Year. In addition, she serves as a teacher leader at the school and is an active participant in her professional learning community.
“Ashlee knows her students very well, and because of this knowledge she is able to assist students in setting goals in all content areas and then helping them achieve those goals,” said Susan Spencer, a goal clarity coach at Cochran. “Through her knowledge and relationship building with her students she is able to set a tone of community in her classroom like no other.”
As part of LG&E and KU’s commitment to supporting education across the communities it serves, Kemper and other ExCEL Award winning teachers each receive a $1,000 instructional grant from the company.
Six Marion C. Moore School students recently earned top honors at the third annual Kentucky ProStart Invitational, a high school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts.
Teams representing high schools and educational centers from across the state traveled to Shepherdsville on March 10 to compete in the event, hosted by the Kentucky Restaurant Association Education Foundation.
Moore students Ambur Crawford and Jaylan Taylor finished first in the management portion of the competition for their concept called “On the Fly,” an airport restaurant that serves soul food. The management competition challenges students to demonstrate their knowledge of the industry by developing a restaurant proposal, delivering a verbal presentation and applying critical thinking skills to challenges that restaurant managers face in day-to-day operations.
Students Viviana Hernandez, Zulmara Suarez, Jose Fonseca and Jonathon Soeder earned a second-place finish in the culinary portion of the competition, which challenges students to execute perfect knife cuts, develop a three-course meal in one hour (using only two butane burners), and cost-out the meal for menu pricing. Students are evaluated by industry professional on their sanitation, teamwork, organization and taste.
“The competition is an outstanding opportunity for high school students to demonstrate the skills they’ve learned through the ProStart program,” said Stacy Roof, Kentucky Restaurant Association president and CEO. “ProStart students are learning to form a career path from their passion for the culinary arts. This competition represents the culmination of countless hours of preparation throughout the school year.”
Moore is one of 12 high schools participating in the Academies of Louisville initiative, which shifts away from traditional techniques and allows students to connect what they’re learning in the classroom to the real world through a subject that interests them. Academies at Moore include the Freshman Academy; Health Sciences Academy; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Academy; and Community Academy, which includes culinary and food services.
ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school program that unites the classroom and industry to develop the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice leaders.
