Story Highlights
- JCPS leaders outlined more than $140 million in proposed cuts to address a projected $188 million budget shortfall for the 2026–27 school year, with reductions affecting central office and school-level staff.
- The school board is set to review the budget Jan. 20, with employees impacted by eliminations or changes expected to be notified by May 15, pending board approval.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Jefferson County Public Schools outlined $142 million in new cuts at a meeting Tuesday with principals, staff reductions that’ll affect central office administration as well as school based staff.
The plan is the district’s attempt to address what’s projected to be a $188 million shortfall in the 2026-27 budget. Altogether, this new proposal would total about $142 million in cuts as the district aims to balance its budget. This is more than the $132 million in cuts Dr. Yearwood initially projected.
On Jan. 20, the Jefferson County School Board is expected to review the budget that leaders said is critical to the district’s future amid mounting questions about the math behind JCPS’ finances. The budget is subject to board approval.
The proposed cuts are:
- Central Office Staff and Reorganization: $44 million
- Supplemental and Add on Programs: $41 million
- Facilities and Underutilized Assets: $5 million
- Operations and Transportation: $13 million
- Contracts and Subscriptions: $9 million
- Other Potential Cuts, Pending Negotiations: $30 million
JCPS said all employees whose roles will be eliminated or changed will be notified by May 15.
“This is a new day for JCPS, rooted in financial accountability,” Superintendent Brian Yearwood said in a news release Wednesday. “To fulfill our duty to students, teachers, families, and taxpayers, we have to make difficult decisions, including eliminating positions and programs that no longer align with our essential obligations as a school district.”
“This is a very serious, heartbreaking time,” Yearwood said.
Nearly $44 million of the proposed cuts would come from the central office, eliminating about 300 positions. Recently, Yearwood said the cuts would be focused on the central office. In its presentation Tuesday, the district said its central office growth — 255 more positions since 2019 — is “not built for sustainability,” an issue raised years ago by an external state audit.
At the same time, the presentation said, academic achievement isn’t improving, with resources spread too thin across the county and roles misaligned with needs of the students.
“We have dedicated staff working every day to provide a quality education to students in Jefferson County, and I want them to know I appreciate their work,” Yearwood said in a news release. “These were difficult decisions to make in our first year together, but it is my responsibility to lead this district responsibly and efficiently, so that we can continue to meet our core responsibilities in educating students.”
Program reductions are outlined in the slide below.
Those include $18 million from the Needs Index, also known as racial equity funding, and $14 million from academic instructional coach positions.
“Employees that have given us their heart, soul, and 100%, and it’s tough,” Yearwood said.
The plan also cuts more than $3 million from school safety administration, which Yearwood said will not impact student safety.
Another $13 million would come from operations and transportation, including the elimination of some bus stipends.
An additional $9 million comes from contracts and subscriptions, and $5 million from facilities.
About $30 million in additional cuts are still pending union negotiations, including potential changes to cost-of-living adjustments.
The presentation also outlines changes to school closures and consolidations after a previous plan was tabled. Under the revised proposal, King Elementary would still merge with Maupin Elementary, and Zachary Taylor Elementary would close.
“These are the most vulnerable students in my district, those 275 K-5 students,” one parent said during public comment.
However, Liberty High School would relocate to Gheens rather than closing, and the TAAP program would remain in its original building.
The cuts were also presented Wednesday afternoon to the district’s Audit and Risk Management Advisory Committee.
During the meeting, WDRB asked Yearwood about the potential impact on students.
“You said that there will be no negative impact on students, but with $142 million in cuts, that seems unlikely unless there was just that level of inefficiency of spending at the district previously,” WDRB’s Adi Schanie asked.
“Yes. So impact on students. When we look at — you notice we were very cautious, or we protected — we, I said we would protect the base pay for teachers. We did. That said, we will protect the instructional environment,” Yearwood responded.
At least one board member disagreed that the cuts would not impact students.
“Cutting $140 million from the budget is going to have some type of an experience impact on students. I think that’s unavoidable,” board member James Craig said.
WDRB also asked about accountability, specifically whether the same chief financial officer who oversaw years of deficits would remain in place.
“Currently Mr. Munns is the chief financial officer, and he will not be in that position,” Yearwood said.
The district plans to replace the CFO role with a new chief business officer overseeing the budget, along with several new executive roles, including a chief of innovation and strategy.
“Making school more exciting for students,” Yearwood said when describing that role.
Even with $142 million in cuts, district projections show JCPS would still face a roughly $40 million shortfall.
District leaders say this budget represents the first responsible financial plan the district has presented in years.
“Yes, my intention is not to run a deficit budget, to not come back and have to do these cuts like we’re seeing here,” Yearwood said.
How we got here
The financial alarm first sounded during a routine school board meeting in September, when district leaders warned JCPS could run out of money by 2026. Since that meeting, WDRB has reviewed a decade of district budgets, filed more than a dozen open records requests and repeatedly questioned district leadership about how the shortfall grew so large.
JCPS officials have said the deficit is largely the result of the district’s reliance on federal COVID-19 relief money, known as ESSER funds, which have now expired. However, records reviewed by WDRB show JCPS ran a deficit nearly every year for a decade, with one exception — 2022, when COVID relief funds temporarily balanced the budget.
In June 2025, during what would be his final interview with WDRB, then-Superintendent Marty Pollio described a much smaller financial correction ahead.
“They’re going to have to do about $40 million more next year, and then it is a soft landing,” Pollio said.
Three months later, under new leadership, the projected cuts grew dramatically to $132 million.
WDRB reviewed internal emails and prior budget presentations from that period and found no warnings of a sudden financial cliff.
During a recent interview, Superintendent Brian Yearwood was asked how the number increased by roughly $90 million in just three months.
“We used our ESSER funds to bring in programs,” Yearwood said. “But I guess the numbers started — I call it — getting bigger and bigger.”
District records show something else grew during that same period: central office administration. JCPS now has nearly twice as many chief-level positions as it did 10 years ago.
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