JCPS Board of Education Continues Budget Cut Talks

The Jefferson County Board of Education continues to work on reducing the district’s budget to compensate for a more than 30-million dollar projected shortfall.The board rejected a few reductions Superintendent Sheldon Berman had previously asked for, including cuts to the district’s contract with the Louisville Orchestra and its family literacy program.More than half of the district’s fleet of 137 take-home cars would be parked under the plan, but board member Carol Haddad chided district officials for not further reducing the take home fleet."People are angry, they see them in grocery stores, they see them everywhere," said Haddad, "that’s the reason I’m not sure you’re taking this seriously, because you’re not thinking about the greater good."Also included in the reductions are a four-percent cut in spending at the JCPS central office.The board will revisit the district’s tentative budget in May.