JCPS decision-makers should visit Central High. They'd see the anxiety they're causing.

It has been the honor of my life to have been a teacher at Louisville Central High School. I am currently serving my 25th year at this wonderful school, and I hope to spend a few more doing the job that I love.

At last Tuesday’s meeting, the JCPS Board members were given an impossible task: How to fix the district’s transportation difficulties. A noticeable number of Central High School students and several members of the community made passionate and respectful pleas not to end transportation of magnet schools. Their efforts, along with an eye-opening presentation from Prismatic, swayed the Board to table the vote to allow for further analysis.

Not everyone at the meeting was convinced that the vote should be delayed. Board member James Craig was concerned that the delay would only further compound the efforts to fix the problem. “Eight million minutes of instruction have been lost to the students of Jefferson County because we just cannot get them to school on time," he said. "And remind me, is that at one school or is that across the district? It’s 160 schools that are being affected by this crises, not just one.”

I am going to preface what I have to say that I have nothing but respect for the Board and the folks at the district. I have fully supported Superintendent Marty Pollio from day one. These are good people doing very difficult jobs, despite the claims of the many armchair educational experts who inhabit their own little dark corners of the internet.

But I am and should be critical of some of the district’s initiatives, especially those that can result in a negative outcome for my students. I am trained every year to advocate and protect my students. In the case of an armed intruder, I am to throw my body in front of incoming bullets while shouting “Alice” at the top of my lungs. Who can fault me for standing up for my students’ transportation needs?

Gerth: JCPS busing audit shows Superintendent Marty Pollio is in over his head

I do have to wonder as to which “one school” Mr. Craig was referring. I’m going to give him the benefit of doubt and say that he isn’t specifically referring to Central, but for the sake of argument, let’s look at how one school, Central, would be affected by eliminating transportation for its students.

JCPS needs to remember the students at Central High

Eighty-five percent of our students rely on a school bus to get to our building. Those students are among the best-behaved riders in the district. Central had only two bus referrals from November 15, 2023 to February 14, 2024, according to an analysis from WDRB. The overwhelming majority of our students are listed as free and reduced lunch status, and many of them live a mile or more from the nearest TARC stop.

An in-house poll of 200 Central parents indicated that over 57% of our students would have to attend another school next year if bus transportation is taken away from them. The consequences of transportation option one would have an undue, if not devastating, effect on Central, more so than the other magnet and traditional schools. Central students would be burdened with an unfair sacrifice for the benefit of the rest of the district.

A JCPS audit confirms: The busing system is a disaster. But we already knew that.

The decision makers haven’t been to Central lately. They haven’t seen the undue anxiety that is overwhelming my students right now. My kids are worried about their future: Which school will they have to attend next year, whether they will be able to complete their Career Technical Education program, will they have to sit out a year athletically, what happens to the friendships and bonds that they have made while at Central? They look to the teachers and administrators for answers, but we can’t provide them with any because there doesn’t seem to be a plan beyond cutting the buses. These kids applied to Central, went through the admission requirements, competed to get into their magnet program and poured themselves into the curriculum.

How can we possibly ponder taking away their access to their school?

Central alumni leave their mark

But what is the value of this one school? Why do I claim this school should be set apart? The importance of Central to this city is unparalleled. For 150 years it has been a symbol of excellence. Our airport and a section of our interstate system are named after Central alumni. Central students were crucial activists during some of our darkest times, including the civil rights sit-ins of the 50s and 60s and the recent Breonna Taylor protests. Louisville would not be Louisville without the graduates of this school. Central needs to be celebrated and respected for what it is: A temple dedicated to the power and possibility of public education.

I suppose that all of this could just be considered one teacher’s opinion of his beloved school, but Tuesday’s meeting contradicts this. The Urban League believes in Central. The NAACP believes in Central. The community REAP reports find it to be obvious. The numerous speakers before the Board were adamant. And my students certainly feel that their school is more than worthy.

I hope that the Board can see Central in the same light as so many others. I beg them not to take transportation from my students. It is the one school, and it certainly matters.

Jim Gilbert has been teaching at Central since 1999. A life-long tinkerer and unabashed tech-geek, Gilbert started the Louisville Centrons robotics team in 2015, and has coached the team to two state and one international championships. He has attained NICERC technical certification in robotics and cyber security and an educational endorsement in instructional technology at UofL. He has served on the local boards of the Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation, the BSA Sea Scouts, and the Central/UofL Innovation partnership.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Central High is best example of who JCPS could hurt by cutting buses