LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Several Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) are targeted for an overhaul.
Wednesday night, the district said its 4-year plan was amended; now, six schools will be rebuilt in addition to the three schools announced earlier this year.
The schools include:
- W.E.B. DuBois
- Grace James Academy
- West End Middle
- Okolona Elementary
- Seneca High
- Olmsted Academy South
- an early childhood center
- Westport Middle
- Kerrick Elementary
Kerrick falls within District 4, which board member Joe Marshall represents. He was excited to hear the news.
“It's a school that has tremendous need, but it has great leadership,” Marshall said. “It has a great staff, and so they are deserving. Those students are deserving to have their own building that is built to their needs, and can be a shining example within that community.”
Chris Perkins, chief operations officer for JCPS, said the schools will add more natural light, technology centers and more.
“It is every bit as important as the teacher, the curriculum, that the classroom space is a facilitator of learning,” Perkins said. “Not to renovate a building to keep it afloat for another 30 years, but to change the trajectory of some of these students lives by giving them a brand new school building.”
Marshall agreed and remembers how proud he was to see the new Wilkerson Elementary open a few months ago.
“Kids are going to dream in the future, they need to be learning in facilities that look like the future that they're going to be running one day,” he said.
The Kentucky Department of Education must first approve the four-year plan before any action is taken.
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