Jefferson County Public Schools are struggling.

Enrollment, attendance, student achievement and teacher retention remain low after the pandemic. Understaffing and a culture of fear are hurting morale, while operational problems have made JCPS a target for ridicule. Now the the superintendent leaves and three-quarters of eligible school board members chose not to run again. A state commission is considering sweeping state-mandated changes.

The deeper problem lies in decades of stagnation, regardless of who is responsible, without any progress in closing learning gaps and leaving behind mostly black and poor students.

JCPS clearly needs a big new superintendentbut Kentucky law has long made that impossible by denying Louisville’s superintendent the authority that every CEO of a large organization needs. If Louisville wants JCPS to do tomorrow what it cannot do today – educate all of our children – we must demand changes to state law to give a leader the power to fix our broken system.

Kentucky must grant real authority to next JCPS schools chief

Great organizations hire leaders to deliver results, not just to manage day-to-day operations. Generals must win wars, not just try. CEOs must deliver, even when the path is unclear. University presidents must work with, through, and around sometimes antagonistic interest groups to get things done. None of them are micromanaged by boards of directors under outdated governance charters.

JCPS needs the same approach. Hoping the school board selects a leader with the right skills isn’t enough: Kentucky must give the superintendent real authority to restructure, reallocate resources and make tough decisions to ensure the success of nearly one-sixth of the school’s students. the state.

Without the power to change JCPS, Louisville will experience decades like the last few. Kentucky has long restricted the authority of the JCPS superintendent, stifling progress with bureaucracy and interference. Imagine a CEO unable to choose his management team or pivot strategy: no company works that way, and neither does JCPS.

JCPS board fights law giving more power to superintendent

Fortunately, in 2022, the Kentucky legislature passed Senate Bill 1 to give the next superintendent more power to lead. However, the JCPS school board is challenging the law in the Kentucky Supreme Court on legal technicalities unrelated to education.

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If the court upholds the law, it will allow the superintendent to make quick, strategic decisions within the school board’s goals and budget. If the court blocks it, Louisville should push for the Legislature to restore the content of the law to hold JCPS leaders accountable.

Setting ambitious but realistic goals for JCPS, finding the courage to fund the changes, and holding an empowered superintendent accountable will be a major task for the school board. It’s a role worthy of people who oversee a budget significantly larger than the Metro Council’s, and one that would give them a real chance to accomplish what previous boards couldn’t accomplish.

The stakes are high: Our schools are shaping the future of our city, impacting the economy, workforce and community well-being. To lead change, we must create a working dynamic for the superintendent with the same rigor and expectations that we would have for a corporate CEO or university president. With the right leadership and tools, transformation is possible.

Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor.

David A. Jones, Jr. served on the JCPS School Board and the Humana Inc. Board of Directors, chairing each during his tenure.

This article was originally published in the Louisville Courier Journal: Opinion: Without changing the JCPS, we will see decades like the last