LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Jefferson County School Board implements a revised assignment plan for elementary students in August. The board says the plan will mean shorter bus rides.
Jack Jacobs, the Executive Director of JCPS Student Assignment was on "WDRB in the Morning." He says students will have less travel because the board voted to divide the district into six clusters instead of the 12 or 13, as recommended by diversity expert Gary Orfield. Students will be assigned based on race, household income, and their parent's education level.
They will also be picked from smaller geographic areas within each cluster using updated census information. The district says at least 2000 students will now have the opportunity to attend a school closer to their home based on school capacity under the revised plan.
Jacobs says 7,000 students entering first grade next year will not have to reapply. They can stay in the school they are at. That means the students won't have to worry about being uprooted or moving to another school.
The JCPS Showcase of Schools is set for January 28th at the Kentucky International Convention Center. That's where parents can get information about all the elementary schools and magnet and traditional programs the district has to offer. The application period starts February 1st and runs through March 1st.
Parents will now be allowed to select more school choices. The board is expected to vote on a more comprehensive student assignment plan in the spring.
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