JCPS has hundreds of vacancies with less than two weeks before school starts

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – The JCPS task force met again Monday, along with district leadership, with less than two weeks to go before students start a new school year.

The district’s employment, a low point in Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio’s 2023-2024 school year evaluation, was a starting point for discussion.

Dr. Pollio claims that overall the district has been successful in retaining teachers, with a 96% retention rate.

He cites the district’s Accelerated Improvement School and Choice Zone grants as an effective way to retain teachers.

“I think the most important thing is to retain those teachers in our schools that have the greatest need,” Dr. Pollio said.

Grants start at $8,000 per year and can go up to $14,000, as long as a teacher remains in the classroom.

“We’re focused on attracting our teachers and the schools with the highest needs, we retain them, we bring some seniority into those schools and they’re also paid more than many of their colleagues,” Dr. Polio said.

The district is still recruiting for hundreds of positions heading into August. JCPS officials say it is not unusual to fill positions in a new school year.

Some schools, however, need more help than others. At the Academy at Shawnee, the district had 36 openings listed on its website as of July 29. That includes 23 teacher openings and 13 staff openings.

Regardless, the Academy in Shawnee will open its doors on August 8, along with the other JCPS schools.

A district spokesperson says certified district administrators and permanent substitutes can fill the positions while new employees are hired.

“It’s still a challenge, and I’m not going to say it’s not a challenge, to get staff into our schools where we have the greatest need, because that’s a tougher task,” Dr. Pollio said.

Mark Hebert, JCPS communications manager, told WAVE News that at the Academy in Shawnee, in some cases there are two positions for one job.

This allows the district to consider a broader pool of applicants, including permanent teaching assistants and those awaiting certification.

“For example, if they can’t find someone to fill a certified math teacher position, they can advertise a position without full math certification and have that position filled by someone who is a tenured assistant teacher and is waiting for math certification,” Hebert said in an email.

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