Gerth: Holding school task force meetings in Frankfort disrespects Louisville parents

FRANKFORT, Ky. — In a committee room with wood-paneled desks, 55.2 miles from Iroquois High — arguably Jefferson County’s most troubled school — a task force led by a state senator who lives in Bullitt County and a state representative from Kenton County began work Monday on a plan to reimagine the schools in Louisville.

That meeting will determine if the state’s largest school district will be divided into two or more districts and perhaps which students — should that happen — would have the right to attend Manual High School, generally thought to be the crown jewel of Jefferson County Public Schools.

JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio didn’t pull any punches at the beginning of the meeting.

“As you know, I sat here at this table several months ago and was not necessarily a fan or in favor of this commission for a variety of reasons; however, in the end, just like all the other audits we’ve had during my time … we take positives out of every single audit,” he said.

Then, as an aside, he noted he was presenting the information he was asked to present — not necessarily what he thought was important — a subtle way of saying the task force meeting in Frankfort, an hour’s drive from many people who will be most impacted by whatever decision is made here, started off asking some of the wrong questions.

What he didn’t say is if the committee is really interested in a collaborative effort to fix what is wrong with Louisville’s public schools, then it would hold its meetings in Louisville where parents, students and taxpayers could attend.

Thoughts on this? Submit your letter to the editor here.

If the committee really wanted to do something supported by the people who have a stake in this — the parents and the children — it would hold the meetings in the evenings when most people are off work, and it would dedicate a part of each meeting to allowing parents to speak about what they like about the schools, what they don’t like about them and how they can be improved.

But that’s not what this is about.

The whole exercise is about the Republican state legislature trying to impose its will on the Democratic voters of Louisville, using its power to usurp the county’s democratically elected school board and to dictate policy to the voters here.

Just like when the legislature voted last year to get rid of partisan elections for metro government offices — simply because they knew candidates with “R's" behind their name likely couldn’t win an election.

Just like it did when it voted this past session to overturn local laws that said landlords couldn't refuse to rent property to people who relied on government subsidies to lease safe and affordable housing.

What's the endgame here? To create one predominantly Black district and one predominantly white district?

One district outside the Watterson Expressway and one inside it?

Return to a situation like we had leading up the 1975 federal desegregation ruling where white kids and Black kids in part of the county were intentionally sent to different schools?

I asked Sen. Mike Nemes, a Shepherdsville Republican and the co-chairman of the task force, why it wasn’t being held in Louisville — and in fact, why weren’t all the task force’s meetings being held there.

It appears the police are in charge: Gerth: Is the city running LMPD or is LMPD running the city?

The Bullitt County Republican said part of it had to do with the inability of the Legislative Research Commission staff, which assists the legislature in conducting meetings, to get to Louisville to hold the meeting.

“And,” he said, “Our ability to find places.”

Folks who have been around the legislature will see how laughable this is.

Nothing stops the commission from sending its employees on the road to hold meetings at the state fair every year. And some committees have taken their meetings to far-flung places for special events from time to time.

But the “ability to find places?”

In Louisville?

Are you kidding me.

The state owns the Kentucky Exposition Center and its 1.2 million square feet. It owns the Kentucky International Convention Center, the KFC Yum! Center and the entire University of Louisville. And the Kentucky Center.

The list of places that could host a meeting are endless.

Plus, there are 165 schools in the JCPS. Does anyone really think the school board would refuse to allow this task force to meet in one of its buildings? Would they turn down a request to use the auditorium in the school district’s VanHoose Education Center where the school board meets?

Is Andy the guy? Gerth: If Democrats move on from Biden after poor debate, Andy Beshear won't be the guy

Really?

But according to the Bullitt County Republican, full transparency isn’t needed.

People can watch online if they’re really interested, he said. And they won’t be able to speak at the meetings even if his committee made it easy for them to attend.

“We’re going to have some meetings for the parents in Louisville,” he said.

But shouldn’t they all be in Louisville?

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t think the parents have to come to every meeting,” he said, adding that they would be given a chance to speak in Louisville at some point.

But for the most part, parents won’t be allowed to speak.

“They can sit in the stands, but they’re not going to be able to participate in these meetings. We have our agendas,” Nemes said.

Joseph Gerth can be reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courierjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Gerth: Holding school task force meetings in Frankfort disrespects Louisville parents