I’m a strong believer in bringing our city
government and school systems closer together.
JCPS board member Chris Kolb (District 2) was my
guest on the District 8
Podcast last fall, and he and I held our first joint “Town and Gown-Hall Meeting” at
Hawthorne Elementary in the spring. Our next
meeting is planned for October, at Highland Middle, and more details are coming
soon.
Former Hawthorne Principal – now JCPS Executive
Administrator of Middle School Support – Jessica Rosenthal serves on the
District 8 Advisory Board.
I’ve met with Bloom Principal Jack Jacobs to address
egress, traffic and parking issues at the school, and with Bloom parents to
support their Community Playground Project.
I’m a repeat volunteer for Youth Services Center Coordinator Tim Meyer at
Highland’s “Love Your Job” career day. JCTMS
Principal Teri Reed and I are working together to secure the school’s popular
late-night parking lot and organize against crime in the Original Highlands bar
district. Atherton Super-Teacher Rita
Cron Hines and dozens of her students are part of our Brightside Communitywide Cleanup team.
These five schools, the 4,348 students that attend
them (give or take), the 69 total acres they sit on and all the movement and
activity they generate throughout the year are vital infrastructure assets and an
indelible part of our community. The
citywide numbers are 150 schools, 101,000 students and 2,311 acres.
But we the people of Louisville and our Metro
Government have only scratched the surface in terms of taking ownership – not
to be confused with control – over our
schools. Not only can the city embed and
invest itself in JCPS Academic
Support Programs (wraparound services) in a much deeper, more strategic and meaningful way, but we
ought to demand and maximize the potential of Community Schools. We ought to organize our city planning (transportation,
housing, etc.) and prioritize our capital spending around them. We have 150 public schools, which means we
have 150 unrealized parks (1,444 total grass acres), playgrounds, libraries,
computer labs, gymnasiums, cafeterias, parking lots and more to serve our
population. We can’t afford not to think
about JCPS in this way, too.
So, this school year, let the only takeover that
comes to fruition involve JCPS and our imaginations; let us Jefferson County, be
the change we want to see in Jefferson County Public Schools; and let our
children live, love and learn in safe and stimulating spaces.
For breaking news and information,
please follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you have a question or comment, please call me at: (502) 574-1108 or
email: brandon.coan@louisvilleky.gov (and copy jasmine.weatherby@louisvilleky.gov). If you have a service request, please
call MetroCall at: 311 or visit MetroCall 311 online. Visit the
District 8 Strategic Plan page here.
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