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Four year, long-term facilities plans unveiled
February 8, 2023 - Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) will start construction on nine new schools in the next four years as part of a facilities plan unveiled to the Jefferson County Board of Education last night. The board also saw a draft of a 10-year plan for JCPS facilities improvements.
JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio told the board that, with its increased bonding capacity, the district can afford to spend 150 to 180 million dollars per year over the next four years on new buildings and renovations. The district also plans to spend $5 million this summer on athletic facilities including immediate safety upgrades for bleachers, fencing and tracks.
Pollio has included construction of new school buildings as a key component in his Future State of JCPS plan.
“For far too long JCPS has neglected its facilities and fallen behind other districts in offering new, innovative, bright learning spaces for our students,” Pollio said. “The evidence is clear that new school buildings enhance the pride and sense of belonging students have in their school, resulting in better learning outcomes.”
JCPS has 165 schools, many of which are far beyond the expected 50 year life span of a school building.
Construction on two new schools is well underway. The Echo Trail Middle School and the Dr. William H. Perry Elementary School are scheduled to be completed this summer, in time to open for the start of the 2023-24 school year. Construction on the J. Blaine Hudson Middle School is expected to begin this summer. Six other schools are on the list to start new construction by 2026. They are:
Grace James and WEB DuBois Academies
Okolona and Kerrick Elementary Schools
Olmsted South Academy and Westport Middle School
Seneca High School
Early Childhood Learning Center – location to be determined
The four-year construction plan also includes major renovations at nine other facilities. The public will get a chance to comment on the proposal before the board votes on a version to send to the Kentucky Department of Education for final approval.
The board saw the draft of a long-term facilities plan from JCPS Chief Operations Officer Chris Perkins.
“In the past 23 years we’ve built just 10 new schools in JCPS,” Perkins said. “We hope to flip those numbers and build 23 new schools over the next 10 years.”
The extended proposal for JCPS facilities is less of an official document and more of a vision, according to Perkins. He also told the board that the district is reviewing all of its athletic fields and will soon have an equitable plan for adding artificial turf fields at many high schools.
