The head of the largest school district in Kentucky, Dr. Marty Polio is set to retire this summer, leaving Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) with the challenge of finding a new superintendent.
To ensure that a suitable candidate is selected, JCPS held two community forums on February 15, 2025. The forums were held to give JCPS, teachers, parents and students the opportunity to share their ideas of an ideal superintendent.
Michael Yorio, an executive leader from the contracted search firm Hazard, Young, Attea, (HYA), led the public forum at Ballard High School. While asked about the results they received from the forums, he said that “that’s what we’re doing this week in Louisville, getting all the information from all the community groups, focus groups, and establishing that position profile, and the position profile will guide the search.” He explains how the information collected will correlate into the decision for the JCPS leader.
Regarding a question about the timeline of the search, he discusses that “the plan is for that person to be on board at the beginning of the school year. There are no guarantees with that. Searches can’t be following a schedule. They cannot for a myriad of reasons. So that’s really up to the board.”
When asked if the search would extend beyond Kentucky he noted that “based upon the information this week we gathered, folks are open to both an internal and external candidate, but really they want the best candidate, the most qualified candidate.”
Susan Smith, a representative of The Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together (CLOUT), spoke during the public forum. When she was asked about how forums are important and vital to the JCPS community, commented that “it elevates the importance of some of the issues that might have been underlying, but not articulated yet.”
“I feel like Dr. Polio did a good job of being with parents, but I feel like not so much with students” said Dinah Condra, a sophomore here at Ballard, “and I feel like a big part of JCPS is the students that actually go to the schools.”
During the forum, a lot of important issues were brought up. It was stated that only 64% of the black student population could read proficiently. A big focus during the forum was considering different solutions a superintendent could implement to raise the literacy rate of its minority students. Poverty was also a big issue mentioned. Students whose parents don’t make a high income may be incapable of getting involved in the same activities as students who come from higher income families. A major recurring issue that was discussed was transparency. They are looking for a superintendent that will be honest even if it’s not what they wanna hear. They want the absolute truth and nothing less.
The public forums that were held proved to be successful. It was a vital step in shaping the future of JCPS leadership. The community looks forward to the selection of its next leader who will adhere to every individual group under JCPS.
