Tagged: JCPS

Jefferson County Public Schools elementary principals are in class this week prepping for the end of summer vacation, and many are not alone.

Earlier this year, the school board approved the hiring of assistant principals for elementary schools with more than 400 students.

Of the nearly 80 schools eligible, all but a dozen principals have already hired their assistants, who officially begin Wednesday.

Jefferson County Public Schools elementary principals have received a list of candidates they can hire as assistants for next school year and some are eager to begin the process.

Jefferson County Board of Education chairman Steve Imhoff has  stepped aside for the remaining few months of his term.

The chair position, and leader of the seven member JCPS board, will be vice-chair Diane Porter. Imhoff is one of three board members retiring from his duties at the end of this year. Imhoff, who works as an attorney, said the three trials he has over the next six months is the primary reason for his decision and he said Porter is well qualified for the position.

Several Jefferson County Public Schools principals will begin workshops this week in an effort to improve their leadership skills.

The program called Leadership Institute for School Principals was offered last year by the Kentucky Chamber Foundation as a pilot project. Principals participate in workshops offered by the Center for Creative Leadership in North Carolina. This year, the program is fully funded at $9,000 per principal by local businesses.

Residents, child advocacy groups, and Jefferson County Public Schools officials will attend a meeting Tuesday night to discuss the district’s disciplinary practices, which have been called into question in the past year.

JCPS is one of the top districts in the state that disproportionately disciplines minority and disability students, according University of Kentucky report based on 2008-2009 data. 

Of the top 10 districts that show disproportionate ratios, JCPS is the only one that hasn’t adequately changed its policy, said attorney Leslie Jones with the independent state agency Kentucky Protection and Advocacy.