Recommended Facility Changes

Frequently Asked Questions

JCPS understands that changes to school facilities can be difficult for students, staff, and families. The District’s goal is to make these transitions as smooth as possible while ensuring every student has access to modern, high-quality learning environments. The recommendations described below are currently under consideration and are not yet official. The Jefferson County Board of Education must approve any closures, consolidations, or adjustments.

Recommended Closures and Consolidations

What are the recommended changes?

JCPS is recommending two types of facility plan modifications for the 2026-27 school year, each driven by two different purposes: 

  • Facility Profile Index (FPI)-informed changes for efficiency and facility condition
  • A programmatic change
 

What facility recommendations are being made and why? 

The recommended changes for the 2026-27 school year fall into two categories: FPI-informed changes and a programmatic change.

FPI-Informed Changes (Driven by Facility Profile Index Data)

These decisions are based on data related to facility condition, operating costs, and student enrollment (utilization).

King Elementary

  • Action: The school will close; the building will be sold.
  • Reason for Change: Underutilization/Cost. Enrollment is only at 70% of capacity, leading to a high cost per student of $33,083 (compared to the JCPS elementary average of $23,554).
  • Transition Plan for Students: Students will merge with Maupin Elementary students at the Maupin location, 1312 Catalpa Street.

Zachary Taylor Elementary

  • Action: The school will close; the building will be sold.
  • Reason for Change: Underutilization. Enrollment is significantly low at 49% of capacity.
  • Transition Plan for Students: Students should reapply, ranking choices from elementary schools in the Ballard High zone (Chancey, Dunn, Norton Commons, Norton, Portland, and Wilder).

Waller-Williams Environmental

  • Action: The program will relocate; the building will be demolished (land retained).
  • Reason for Change: Underutilization/Cost. Enrollment is at 39% of capacity, resulting in a high cost per student of $110,529 (compared to the JCPS specialized school average of $62,247).
  • Transition Plan for Students: Students will shift to the current Georgia Chaffee TAPP building at 1010 Neighborhood Place.

Georgia Chaffee Teenage Parent Program (TAPP)

  • Action: The program will relocate.
  • Reason for Change: Underutilization/Cost. The program is consolidating into a more efficient space while maintaining quality services. Enrollment is only at 21% of capacity, contributing to a high cost per student of $103,677.
  • Transition Plan for Students: Students transition to Gheens Early Childhood Center building on the campus of Louisville Male High School, 4409 Preston Highway.

Programmatic Change

Liberty High School

  • Action: The school will close; the building's future will be determined at a later date.
  • Reason for Change: Personalized academic recovery. The new model mandates Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) and robust social-emotional support to provide an accelerated path to credit recovery.
  • Transition Plan for Students: Students transition to their resides schools or can apply to another school.
 

What other school building changes are happening in 2026-27?

In addition to the closures and consolidations, the following facility and boundary changes are scheduled for the 2026-27 school year.

New Facilities and Program Moves

  • W.E.B. DuBois Academy: Students will transition to their newly constructed campus behind Thomas Jefferson Middle School, which will serve both middle and high school grades.
  • Grace James Academy of Excellence: Students will move into the current W.E.B. DuBois building on Indian Trail. (This move is contingent on the new DuBois campus opening.)
  • New Early Childhood Center: A stand-alone center adjacent to Watterson Elementary is expected to open in August 2026. This will consolidate numerous Early Childhood classrooms into one purpose-designed facility.
  • Atherton High School: Major renovation and addition work is scheduled for completion by August 2026.

Middle School Boundary Change

  • Echo Trail Middle School: The school boundary will be adjusted to ease overcrowding. Incoming middle school students who live in the area north of I-64 and west of Valhalla Golf Club will attend Crosby Middle School starting in the 2026-27 school year. Students already enrolled at Echo Trail Middle School will not be impacted by this change.

Financial and Facility Planning

Are these schools closing because of the budget deficit JCPS is facing?

While these recommended closures are expected to result in operational savings for the District, they are not happening solely because of the budget deficit.

These changes are driven by a two-pronged strategy:

  1. Facility Profile Index (FPI): The closures of King Elementary, Zachary Taylor Elementary, and the relocation of Waller-Williams Environmental and TAPP are directly based on data from the FPI, which Operations initiated in early 2025 and finalized in 2025. The FPI analyzes:
    1. Facility Condition (age, maintenance needs)
    2. Per-Student Operating Cost (operational efficiency)
    3. Enrollment Levels (utilization)
  2. Personalized academic recovery: The new model integrates students into their resides schools, mandating Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) and robust social-emotional support to provide an accelerated path to credit recovery.

The closures and consolidations are a strategic effort to optimize resources and address long-standing needs, ensuring investments are focused on modern, cost-efficient learning environments District-wide.

 

Why is JCPS making FPI-informed changes now, when it hasn't closed or consolidated many schools in the past?

Historically, JCPS focused on renovations and construction. However, as maintenance costs rise, facilities continue to age, and population shifts leave some schools in inefficient locations, the District has begun continuously monitoring to address inefficiencies.

For example, the merger of Whitney Young Elementary and Engelhard Elementary for the 2025-26 school year (now known as Whitney Young Elementary at Engelhard) was an earlier action taken to address declining enrollment at both sites.

Now, with the new Facility Profile Index (FPI), the District has a clear, objective framework to identify which aging and underutilized facilities are not fiscally or educationally sustainable. These actions are a strategic effort to ensure long-term financial stability for facilities across the entire District.

What is the JCPS Facility Profile Index (FPI)?

The Facility Profile Index (FPI) is a strategic, data-driven tool used by JCPS to assess and prioritize its more than 160 instructional sites for potential action, such as investment, repurposing, or consolidation. JCPS Operations began development of the FPI in March 2025.

What is the purpose of the FPI?

The FPI provides a data-informed starting point for complex decision-making about JCPS facilities. It helps identify schools that may need critical attention due to aging conditions, high operating costs, or low enrollment.

The FPI score is not a final ruling, but a tool to prompt deeper evaluation, productive dialogue, and strategic resource allocation.

 

What is the purpose of the FPI?

The FPI analyzes data across three Critical Categories to create a composite score:

  1. Facility Condition Index (CI): Assesses the physical state and long-term viability of the building, comparing the cost to repair versus the cost to replace the facility (data provided by the Kentucky Department of Education).
  2. Operating Cost: The annual cost to run the school, including utilities, maintenance, custodial staff, and per-student discretionary spending.
  3. Enrollment Trends: Examines current and projected student populations, highlighting schools operating with persistently low enrollment or under-utilization (optimally operating between 85% and 115% capacity).
 

How will the FPI be used moving forward?

  • First Report: The first FPI report was released in late 2025, establishing a baseline for identifying operationally efficient needs across the District.
  • Annual Report: The FPI will be recalculated and published annually to inform ongoing planning, prioritization, and investment decisions for JCPS facilities.

Student and Family Transition Support

How will JCPS support students who are transitioning to a new school?

JCPS is committed to ensuring a smooth educational and emotional transition for all students. Support services will include:

  • Building Tours: Families can contact the schools they are interested in to schedule a tour. 
  • Counseling and Mental Health: School-level mental health resources will be available at the closing and receiving schools to help students adjust.
  • Community Support Services: Family Resource and Youth Services Centers (FRYSCs) will work with affected families to connect them to necessary community resources.
 

Will transportation be provided to the new schools?

JCPS policy ensures eligible students receive transportation. For students of closed schools attending their designated resides school, transportation will be provided so long as they live more than a mile from that school. 

Staff Support

Will I have the chance to apply for a transfer?

Employees who are identified as overstaffed will have the opportunity to apply for a transfer to open positions within the District.

 

Is the transfer process the same for everyone?

No, the transfer procedures vary depending on the employee group and the union agreement that applies to each group. Detailed, group-specific instructions will be provided in the future to help guide overstaffed employees through the transfer process. Employees may call JCPS Personnel Services at 502-485-3511 should they have questions.

 

Will my seniority be considered?

Yes, seniority, qualifications, and other contract factors are considered depending on your employee group's union agreement.

 

Will I get priority for open positions?

Overstaffed employees often receive consideration or priority in certain stages of the transfer process, depending on the union contract for each employee group.

 

Is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available?

Yes, the EAP is available to all JCPS employees. Contact Wayne Corporation at (502) 451-8262 to schedule an appointment. Here is a link to the brochure that is available in English/Spanish.

 

Will there be an impact to my insurance benefits?

If you are placed or transfer to another full-time position with the district, then there is no impact to your insurance plans. If you separate employment with the district, your benefits will be impacted. The attached brochure discusses the dates insurance will end upon separation from employment.

Timeline and Next Steps

How can the community provide feedback on these proposals?

JCPS will monitor the success of these facility changes based on several key metrics beginning in 2026-27, including:

Attend a Community Forum

Forum 1

Monday, Dec. 1
5–6 p.m.
Kammerer Middle School
7315 Westboro Rd. 

Forum 2

Tuesday, Dec. 2
5–6 p.m.
JCPS Center for Professional Learning
3903 Atkinson Square Dr. 

Forum 3

Monday, Dec. 3
5–6 p.m.
Academy @ Shawnee
4001 Herman St. 

Questions and comments raised during the forum will be used to immediately inform and update this page and will be summarized for review by the Board of Education.

Submit Written Comments

 You can submit written feedback until 12 p.m. on December 4 using the Proposed Facility Changes Form.

Information gathered will be used to answer common questions, clarify facts on this page, and create a summary document that will be shared with the Board. Please note: Individual replies to submitted comments will not be provided.

 

What is the timeline for Board approval and when will these changes become final?

These are currently proposals that must be formally approved by the Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE). The specific closure and consolidation motions are expected to be voted on by the Board at the December 9 Board Meeting.

 

Will JCPS close more schools in the future? 

Future facility decisions will continue to be guided by the Facility Profile Index (FPI) and programmatic reviews.

The FPI will be recalculated annually, and any school that scores low within the Critical Categories may be identified for further study, investment, or potential action. The goal is to continuously ensure that every student is learning in a safe, efficient, and adequately utilized school building.
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