Election Day is in two weeks and of course I want voters to vote for me. But there are other important races on the ballot, and none more important than for the JCPS Board. So please get informed about the issues and who is on the ballot. Personally I am voting for Taylor Everett, but my suggestion is that you go to the Jefferson County Kids Matter page and research candidates there. And regarding JCPS, here is some information about why these school board elections matter so much.

Two years ago, I led the call for a full, independent look at Jefferson County Public Schools and helped secure funding for it. On June 30, 2026, the results arrived: a roughly 500 page special examination covering July 2022 to June 2025. Most coverage skimmed it. Here is what stood out to me.

📊 The budget. In every working budget from FY22 to FY26, expenses exceeded revenues.

📈 The classroom. Over 20 years, inflation-adjusted per-student revenue rose 62%. Average teacher salaries rose about 12%. And in the last ten years JCPS has hired 255 more staff to an already bloated central office. (For context, 255 staff are the equivalent of 5 schools’ worth of teachers.)

👩‍🏫 The workforce. Teacher turnover hit 26% in the 2024 to 2025 school year, above the state average and more than 2,000 teachers in a single year.

🏫 The results. About two-thirds of JCPS schools sit in the two lowest of the state’s five rating levels and merely 1/3 of JCPS students are reading on grade level.

🏢 The buildings. About 26% of schools are under-enrolled, meaning they operate below optimal capacity. The district reports $1.3 billion in unmet facility needs and has no deferred maintenance plan.

Let me be clear about what this is not. It is not an attack on teachers. Most teachers are busting their behinds working the educate our kids. And the report recognizes a workforce that works hard under difficult conditions, and our teachers deserve our thanks. Nor is it a verdict on Superintendent Yearwood. Nearly all of the review period came before his tenure, and he has said he welcomes the recommendations and has already begun changes.

The report is direct about governance, though. It found a board with too little focus on student outcomes, no cohesive district plan for several years, and an internal audit process that the former superintendent controlled. According to the audit, the board has approved the maximum allowed property tax increase every year since 2016. In 2020, it went further, approving an increase of about 9.5%, more than double the 4% that can be taken without a possible voter recall. Taxpayers gave the board every dollar it asked for, and expenses still outran revenues. The results did not follow.

Many of those who served did so sincerely. But sincerity is not the same as being equipped for a job this size, and the record shows this board was woefully inadequate to their task. That is why I worked so hard to give JCPS a fresh start, and why voters this November will elect an entirely new board. We now have a chance to fix our school district.

What should that new board do first? Adopt a clear, current plan with real priorities. Fix hiring delays. Build a maintenance plan. Take a hard look at under-enrolled schools. Keep every decision tied to student outcomes.

Pair a clear-eyed audit with new leadership, and we have a real chance to build a district worthy of our students and teachers. Whatever your politics, these numbers deserve a look. If you are a JCPS parent, teacher, or taxpayer, I would like to hear what you think. And please vote this November.