Louisville NAACP calls on JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio to resign

Louisville Branch NAACP leaders called on Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio and some board members to resign Wednesday, hours before the board is expected to vote on a transportation plan that could eliminate busing for about 16,000 students.

"The Jefferson County school district is in crisis," said Raoul Cunningham, president of Louisville's NAACP. "It is suffering from a crisis in leadership. It is suffering from a crisis in trust and truth-telling. It is suffering from a crisis in competence and compassion."

A request for comment from Pollio was not immediately responded to by district spokesmen.

The call for Pollio to resign comes one day after three board members — Linda Duncan, Chris Kolb and Joe Marshall — requested a special called meeting on transportation issues that doesn't allow for public comment.

"We have no confidence in the superintendent or the three board members who called a special meeting on a special night in the Black community," said Raymond Burse, local NAACP first vice president, referring to the fact that Black churches traditionally have services on Wednesday evenings.

More: Hastily called school board meeting on JCPS magnet busing outrages community

The timing, along with the lack of community input, raises a question, Burse said.

"Do you respect us or did you do it to disrespect us?" he asked.

Burse and Cunningham said the district needs to evaluate the recently released audit report that gave several recommendations on how it could improve the transportation system.

The audit said the school board placed too much trust in the superintendent, Cunningham said, accepting information Pollio provided with little questioning before voting on last year's transportation plan.

Prismatic Services' investigation into the first day of school problems showed JCPS officials and the vendor they chose to create new bus routes were at fault for busing problems that led to children not getting picked up for hours, having to wait at dangerous stops and some not getting dropped off until nearly 10 p.m.

When asked why call for Pollio’s resignation now — given the special meeting was called by board members — Burse said he believes Pollio was involved in the timing of the meeting, as well as the critical letter Chief Operations Officer Rob Fulk sent to board members about the auditor’s presentation.

“Those things don’t happen without leadership,” he said.

The board will meet Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Van Hoose Center, 3332 Newburg Road.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville NAACP calls on JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio to resign