Hope for improvement as JCPS prepares for return to classes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The list of transportation failures on the first day of school was long.

Notably, Superintendent Marty Pollio said JCPS failed to support bus drivers and teachers. Above all, he told Board of Education members Tuesday night that the district failed to anticipate the systemwide problems.

Patience for getting it right has worn thin.

”This is not safe for our children. It’s not safe for our drivers,” Board of Education Chair Diane Porter said Tuesday, “So, I keep hearing us say we ‘need to, we need to’. The question is, let’s get this going. And let’s make it work.”

Limited meeting space forced about 50 people to wait outside the meeting location at the Vanhoose Education Center, unable to make public comments.

Louisville Urban League’s Lyndon Pryor was among those who made it to the microphone. He walked away offering a reality check.

”Systems that are already overwhelmed, under-resourced and understaffed are going to have a difficult time,” Pryor said. “And none of those things have actually changed.”

With that in mind, the question remains, how many of the previous mistakes will be repeated when the buses roll again on Friday?

For now, Superintendent Pollio gets points for taking responsibility and working to improve.

”By acknowledging, I think that gives you a much better chance of getting to a better place,” JCTA President Brent McKim said. “So, I think that’s appreciated “I do believe that the next day we try this will be better.”

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