Under new JCPS assignment plan, more West End students are choosing neighborhood schools

For the second year in a row, Jefferson County Public Schools' new student assignment plan has proven to be popular among families in the "Choice Zone," with far more choosing to attend a school closer to home, applications show.

The zone is comprised of 13 schools in and around western Louisville that serve an overwhelming number of students considered economically disadvantaged. These schools, under the new plan, received additional funding and staffing advantages last year in hopes of improving academic outcomes.

A presentation during Tuesday's board meeting showed that 90% of the incoming sixth graders living in the zone who submitted an application to the district chose to attend Hudson or Shawnee middle schools. For incoming pre-K, kindergarten and freshman students, 86% chose a school in the zone.

This level of interest, Superintendent Marty Pollio has previously said, is much higher than district leaders anticipated − particularly at the middle school level.

The new assignment plan was designed to give West End students, who previously were bused across the county to boost diversity at other schools, the choice to attend a school in their community. District leaders decided these students should not be forced to shoulder the weight of diversity alone and changed the plan even though it likely will lead to more segregation throughout the system.

Each school received more funding, higher staff salaries, additional staff to shrink class sizes and physical upgrades to their buildings. Teachers choosing to work in these schools are paid an $8,000 to $14,000 annual stipend and the schools' budgets grew, too, with the district committing an additional $12 million each year for a decade.

Thanks to a major donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the schools have also seen a bump in their activity fund budgets to boost family and community engagement, improve physical spaces and enrich school experiences and extracurricular activities. This funding has provided Shawnee with $200,000, Hudson Middle with $125,000 and the 10 elementary schools with $75,000, which they are set to receive each year for five years.

The hope is that these changes will lead to better academic outcomes for students. An outside agency is currently researching how student performance is changing, Pollio told board members.

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Hudson Middle, which opened to sixth graders last year, will add a seventh grade next year and is expecting nearly 600 students. Its projected enrollment is 25% greater than the school's temporary building's optimal capacity.

Enrollment projections show all but two of the Choice Zone schools (excluding Hudson, which was not opened) will have more students than they did prior to the implementation of the new assignment plan.

The Academy @ Shawnee, a 6-12 school, served less than 550 students two years ago but saw a massive influx of about 400 students this year under the new plan. Next year the school is projected to have about 1,100 students − a 111% increase.

Byck and King elementary schools were the only two to see a decrease in their enrollment, losing roughly 20 kids each.

Kennedy Elementary has seen the biggest jump in enrollment behind Shawnee, with 42% more children expected to enroll next year than two years ago.

Most of the schools, though, still have room to expand, according to their building's optimal capacity. McFerran, for example, has been growing its enrollment slightly but is projected to have 647 students while its building could serve nearly 1,100.

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It is unclear whether or not potential changes to the district's busing system could impact enrollment rates in these schools. Students living in the Choice Zone who opted to choose a school outside of the area could have chosen a magnet, and magnet students might not be provided transportation next year.

Board members are expected to vote on whether or not to make this change at the end of this month. If they do, the decision is most likely to negatively impact lower-income families, which means Choice Zone enrollment could increase.

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Contact Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS student assignment: West End kids choosing neighborhood schools