Dispute between JCPS board member and district official erupts at meeting on magnet busing

A top Jefferson County Public Schools official was escorted out of Wednesday's board meeting after a heated exchange with a board member who made multiple references to the official.

JCPS Chief Equity Officer John Marshall showed up shortly before the meeting ended and approached board member Chris Kolb, who had accused Marshall of intentionally misleading the community and had questioned why he wasn't initially present at the meeting.

At the end of the meeting, Kolb and Marshall had an exchange that prompted district police officers to move toward the two men. Marshall began to head toward the exit with the officers trailing him.

The issue at hand between the two men — and among board members — is about the district's racial equity test and whether the decision to end transportation for magnet school students actually passed that test. Additionally, Marshall took issue with Kolb and two other school board members for calling the special meeting that did not allow for public comment.

Community members were outraged by the hastily called meeting as soon as it was announced.

What we know about the dispute between Marshall and Kolb

Tension began to build when Marshall took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize the meeting shortly after it was announced Tuesday.

After the last school board meeting, Board Chair Corrie Shull requested a community committee meet to test whether the options district transportation leaders proposed for changing JCPS busing would harm diverse student groups. Marshall set that meeting for Thursday, but the board vote, which was originally scheduled for April 16, was changed to a special meeting called for Wednesday.

The test Marshall and community members planned to discuss is referred to as the Racial Equity Analysis Protocol, referred to as REAP.

The district's Diversity, Equity and Poverty Department "WAS to do a community REAP this Thurs," Marshall tweeted Tuesday evening. "BTW, the REAP is meant to be a guardrail. It was chosen by the (board) to help them make (racially) equitable decisions."

Then on Wednesday morning, Marshall commented on the fact that Wednesday's board agenda didn't allow for public comment.

"NO. The community CAN'T speak & give voice tonight. WHY? The agenda was set by the 3 requesting the meeting & doesn't include speakers. It COULD'VE BEEN ADDED to a special meeting agenda. But public comment only applies to regular meetings-per POLICY. This too would FAIL A REAP!," Marshall tweeted.

In response, Kolb said REAP is an internal process, not a community process.

"It is very disturbing that Dr. Marshall seems to be intentionally misleading the public for unknown reasons," Kolb told The Courier Journal ahead of Wednesday's meeting.

Kolb spoke to his belief that the REAP does not involve community members, and he asked if Marshall was available to answer questions. Kolb said it was unfortunate that Marshall wasn't present.

Shortly after, Marshall made a post on X directed at Kolb, saying he was at his daughter's ring ceremony at Male High. He also texted that to Superintendent Marty Pollio and said he was on his way to the meeting, Pollio said during the meeting.

Kolb's comments prompted Board Chair Corrie Shull to ask a REAP community committee member in the audience to answer whether the committee exists.

"Yes — unless I don’t exist," said Michelle Patrick of Louisville's NAACP.

Shull also asked Pollio if such a committee exists, with Pollio saying there is a team comprised of district employees and community members "who often do REAPs".

It is unclear at what point Marshall arrived at the meeting, but after the board's vote to end transportation for most magnet students, Kolb crossed the board meeting room at Van Hoose to answer questions from the public, and at that time Marshall approached him and began loudly questioning him. The exchange prompted district police officers to move toward the two men, and Marshall began to head toward the exit with the officers following him.

When Marshall reached the door, he turned back around and began heading toward Kolb again, prompting multiple people in the room to physically stop him and push him toward the exit. The officers did the same.

After the meeting, Kolb stopped short of calling the exchange an altercation.

"He had some heated words for me, but so did a lot of other people tonight," Kolb said. "I understand. It's a difficult and emotional issue to which there are only bad options available."

Marshall told The Courier Journal he "was disturbed by the intimation that I should be at the meeting versus being with my child at her milestone event."

Marshall also said Kolb was "wrong" when he stated "JCPS has never conducted a community REAP for any other issue."

There were multiple heated exchanges throughout the meeting, with board members arguing with each other and members of the public, along with some JCPS employees criticizing the board and district leaders.

Despite strong opposition, the board voted to end transportation for most magnet schools — a move critics said will negatively impact Black, brown and poor students. The vote was split along racial lines, with all Black board members voting against ending any magnet transportation.

Central and Western high schools, where at least 75% of students are from impoverished households, will continue to receive bus transportation. Western is slated to become a full magnet school next year.

Contact Krista Johnson at kjohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS board ends in heated exchange with board member