What the JCPS Superintendent told me about the new budget (and what he couldn't answer)

Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood says it's "still not very clear" how the district got into this mess. But he is making sweeping changes in an effort to prevent the district from going broke.

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Three days after one of the most emotional board meetings in recent JCPS history, Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood sat down to answer questions about what comes next. And his message was clear: this process isn't over, and he's still figuring things out himself.

"I need to meet with them more"

Tuesday night, principal after principal testified that they felt shut out of the budget process. Dr. Yearwood acknowledged they have a point.

"During this process, I met with principals about three times, and what I've learned is that I need to meet with them more, and I plan to do that even more," he said.

When pressed on whether principals' feedback- which came too late to change Tuesday's draft budget- would actually matter going forward, he was cautious: "The budget is a process, and we will continue to listen, continue to have discussions. So again, there's a possibility that there might be changes."

But he added a reality check: "Not everything that is put forth [will happen]. Because ultimately, the board has the ultimate decision on what we do."

For parents wondering if their principal's concerns will be heard, (or theirs for that matter), the answer seems to be "maybe."

The central office shuffle: fewer chiefs, but new high-paid positions too

Dr. Yearwood is making a big deal about cutting central office staff- eliminating 300 positions and reorganizing the chief roles. That sounds significant. But look closer at what's actually happening, and the picture gets murkier.

Positions being eliminated:

• Chief Information Officer
• Chief of Human Resources
• Chief Communications and Community Relations Officer
• Chief of Schools
• Chief Finance Officer
• Chief of Accountability, Research and Systems Improvement
• Chief of Staff
• Chief of Exceptional Child Education

New positions being created:

• Chief Business Officer
• Chief of Strategy & Innovation
• Chief Opportunity & Access Officer (renamed from Chief Equity Officer)
• Executive Officer of Communications and Community Relations
• Executive Officer of Student Support & Community Engagement
• Executive Officer of Accountability, Research and Systems Improvement

According to the organizational charts, he proposed eliminating 8 chief positions but creating 6 new leadership positions. Some with slightly different titles like "Executive Officer" instead of "Chief".

And here's where it gets interesting: The board approved a new "Special Assistant to the Superintendent" position last fall. The position's salary is being funded by part of the $20M donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. When first announced in 2022, the donation was touted as an investment in educational equity- that it would support students in low-income areas, and fund projects like playgrounds, athletics, music rooms, and college visits. Now, it's being used in part to pay for a position whose only duty is to advise the superintendent.

I asked Dr. Yearwood to explain why he created the role.

"I don't have institutional knowledge, I'm new to the area," he said, "I needed someone with that expertise. Someone that actually knows what's happening within our schools was very, very important."

The position- held by Dr. Lynn Reynolds- gets paid at a chief-level salary but doesn't oversee any positions or have any direct reports, aside from a "secretary to the board". That position is responsible for preparing printed materials related to board meetings and maintaining official records of board meetings.

Yearwood told me the lack of direct reports is intentional. "While not having any additional duties, one can truly help me focus on making JCPS continue to thrive and be even more successful," Yearwood explained.

I asked him why he felt he couldn't lean on his chiefs for that institutional knowledge. "Well, chiefs have a whole division to focus on. And you know, there's a lot going on with these different divisions. I wanted someone that had a greater laser focus to be able to help me understand and maneuver through the district."

This particular position was the only one on the cabinet to get a proposed pay raise. All others were eliminated, demoted, or stayed the same.

At Tuesday's board meeting, Principal Sariena Sampson, called this out directly, asking: "Why are there no clear explanations regarding how the proposed cabinet changes are going to save money while adding new positions and giving promotions to others?"

She didn't get an answer.

During the interview Friday, Dr. Yearwood said all current chiefs have been told about the changes, and they'll be re-interviewing for the new positions- even the "downgrades" from chief to executive officer status.

Board member Taylor Everett asked for a "zero-cost accounting exercise" to see exactly how much these changes actually save versus just moving people around. He specifically requested this data before the February 10th meeting.

The question many are asking: Is this really cutting bureaucracy, or just reorganizing it?

What's happening with instructional coaches?

This was one of the most confusing parts of Tuesday's meeting, so let's clear it up.

After the board voted to save mental health practitioners, they shifted the burden of funding Academic Instructional Coaches (AICs) to individual school budgets. But Dr. Yearwood says it's more complicated than that.

Here's his plan:

• Some AICs will be centralized at the district level with more professional development and research-based training
• These centralized coaches will be deployed to schools that need help- not just schools that can't afford their own
• Principals can hire "AIC-like" positions from their school budgets (though they won't technically be called AICs)
• Some current AICs may move to classroom teaching positions

So schools that can't afford to hire their own coach won't necessarily be left without support. But the district gets to decide which schools "really need help" rather than letting every school keep a dedicated coach.

When asked why he didn't just give schools their full budgets and let them decide what positions to keep, Dr. Yearwood pushed back:

"These items that we're dealing with are above and beyond. Schools get their budget and that still maintains, and they can control their budget however they want to. But a lot of these extra positions or add-ons- the key here is they're great initiatives, great add-ons, but what can we truly afford?"

February 10th: when we'll know who's losing their job

Right now, staff across central office are in limbo. They know 300 positions are being eliminated, but not which 300.

Dr. Yearwood says they'll have answers by February 10th at the next board meeting. "Everything is in process because there are lots of pieces that we have to work with HR through. But by February 10, we'll have all of that information," he said, confirming it will be a detailed list of which specific jobs are being cut. His communications later clarified that February 10th is a goal, not a promise.

Every single department at central office is being impacted. Yearwood confirmed he asked every current chief to propose cuts that would make up 50% of their staff. He said not every division will be impacted by 50%.

The question he can't answer: How did this happen?

One of the most striking moments in the interview came when asked how JCPS let a $142 million deficit build up without anyone noticing.

"That is a very difficult question, because I've been asking myself that repeatedly. What happened, when and why? And I'm not very clear on that. I'm not. Because I just am not", Yearwood said.

He says they're waiting on auditors to provide answers. There's currently "a massive audit" underway that should explain what went wrong.

But when pressed on whether the community will ever get explicit answers about who and what got JCPS here, he was vague: "The audits will tell us what explicit things have gotten us here."

Here's the uncomfortable reality: Dr. Yearwood is being asked to make devastating cuts based on financial information provided by the same team that was here when this deficit built up. When asked about his level of trust in the information he's getting, he said they're "asking deeper questions and probing even further than we had before."

They're also hiring a new chief business officer- and eliminating the role of Chief Financial Officer.

Bad News for the Choice Zone

Remember three years ago when JCPS created the new student assignment plan with big promises about finally addressing decades of neglect in West Louisville schools?

Part of that promise was extra money- stipends to attract teachers to the hardest-to-staff schools and equity funds to give those schools more resources. Here's a refresher if you forgot:

Now those stipends are on the chopping block in budget negotiations.

Dr. Yearwood's explanation was blunt: "We had a lot of great ideas that we couldn't afford or we can't afford. That's the bottom line."

When asked what his commitment is to reversing decades of neglect if the district is pulling back the money meant to do exactly that, he pivoted to talking about better data, more transparency, and "realigning and strengthening."

But he also admitted something important: "Throwing money at the problem, although is a great idea... it's not quite giving us the outcomes that we want."

So the choice zone investment is being declared unsuccessful after just three years. And the solution seems to be... less money and better planning.

Hiring a nationals search firm (yes, that costs money too

While cutting 300 central office jobs, JCPS is hiring a national search firm to recruit for the new chief positions.

Dr. Yearwood defended this: "National firms dig in deep. They are deeper rooted throughout the country, and they have greater and more knowledgeable access... I want to pick the best of the best. I don't want to pick someone that's just good."

The firm hasn't been selected yet, but names on the table include firms that typically charge six figures for executive searches.

As for the people currently holding eliminated positions- including those "downgraded" from chief to executive officer- they will be required to apply and re-interview if they want a spot on the new cabinet.

You might see some familiar faces in new roles, but nobody's job is safe.

What parents should know

Timeline:

• Now through February 10: Central office staff wait to find out if they have jobs
• February 10 board meeting: Detailed list of position cuts released, plus data on central office reorganization costs/savings
• Between now and May: Budget continues to be refined (maybe)
• May: Final budget vote

What's still uncertain:

• Exactly how the centralized coach model will work
• Which 300 central office positions are being eliminated
• How much money the cabinet reorganization actually saves
• Whether the Special Assistant to the Superintendent position is necessary
• Whether principals' feedback will actually change anything
• How schools without money will afford "AIC-like" positions
• What happens to choice zone schools without stipends and with reduced equity funds

What Dr. Yearwood promises:

• More engagement with principals
• Audits will eventually explain how this happened
• Long-term financial stability so "the next superintendent, the next board, [doesn't] ever have to deal with this again"

The bottom line:

Dr. Yearwood inherited a financial disaster. He's being forced to make cuts in record time with information from the same people who were here when the problem developed. He's promising more collaboration going forward but acknowledging that not every concern can be addressed.

But some of the solutions- like reorganizing central office with new high-paid positions while cutting school-level support- are raising as many questions as they answer.

For parents, the message is: stay engaged. This draft budget isn't final. The board meets again February 10th with more details, and the final vote isn't until May.

If you don't like what you're seeing, now is still the time to speak up.

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