JCPS board leadership hits brakes on Tuesday's school closure vote

Just days before the Jefferson County Board of Education was set to vote on a controversial plan to close, consolidate, and realign multiple schools, board leadership threw the brakes on.

"I'm Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity.

Are you new here? Sign up for the free newsletter or subscribe to support our mission.

JCPS parents, students, and staff will have to wait a little longer before finding out what major changes could be on the way for their schools.

JCPS Board Chair Dr. Corrie Shull and Vice Chair James Craig announced Friday of last week that they'll formally move to pause consideration of Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio's recommendations at tonight's 6 p.m. meeting at the VanHoose Education Center. The meeting was supposed to be the culmination of weeks of community input sessions- and the moment the board would vote on several highly controversial changes.

"We have heard the voices of our community; the concern, apprehension, and passionate engagement regarding the proposed changes to our JCPS schools," Shull said in a statement. "Your feedback, delivered through community forums, emails, and phone calls, has been heard loud and clear."

The board leadership emphasized this isn't about rejecting change altogether. Instead, they're asking Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood and his team to go back and provide more detailed justification for each proposed closure and consolidation- specifically the academic, fiscal, and logistical benefits.

"We recognize that our schools are the heart of our communities, and any change must be approached with the utmost care, transparency, and a focus on the best interests of our students," Shull said.

The proposed changes have sparked intense pushback from parents, teachers, and community members across Jefferson County. Among the most contested recommendations is the proposed closure of Liberty High School, where teachers say district leadership fundamentally misunderstands what the school does.

“They don’t know what happens here”: Liberty High School teacher calls proposed school closure a huge mistake

Days after JCPS district leaders proposed closing Liberty High School to battle a major budget deficit, students walked out of class in protest. “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. Are you new here? Sign up for

Shay InformedShay McAlister

"I feel like they've never stepped foot in our school," Liberty teacher Ashley Sidebottom said. "They don't know what happens here."

The district characterized Liberty as primarily a credit recovery school and said those programs are now available across JCPS, making the standalone school unnecessary. But Sidebottom says that's a myth.

Liberty operates using the Big Picture Learning model, a research-based approach focused on individualized learning. Students design their own schedules, participate in internships for work-based learning credit, and attend small workshops rather than traditional full-period classes. The school serves around 100 students who weren't successful in traditional settings, many dealing with anxiety and other challenges that make large classrooms overwhelming.

"All of our students were not successful at their other schools for a variety of reasons," Sidebottom explained. "Having these smaller classes and the ability to kind of design their learning in a way that makes sense for them has really led to some great success."

Liberty students organized a walkout last month to protest the closure proposal, and alumni quickly mobilized on social media. A Change.org petition gathered around 700 signatures, with former students sharing testimonials about how the school helped them succeed.

Board leadership is encouraging the community to keep the feedback coming during this pause. "Your passion is essential, and your perspective is invaluable to this deliberative process," Shull said.

It's unclear how long the pause will last or when we can expect to see that additional information the board is requesting from the superintendent.

Tonight's meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the VanHoose Education Center.

Like what you see? Learn more about Shay Informed here! This is honest journalism with compassion and clarity.