(KMN) 10.2: Deficit - Hour 2

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is six oh five here at News Radio eight
forty whas Happy Thursday, Sea of Kentuckyana Coffee and Company
with you. We are fueled by Thornton's And I'm looking
here in front of me. On the television WKY are
News partners. They're covering the turn lanes being removed at
the Clark Memorial Bridge and how that is causing a
lot of frustration from drivers who who take that route

(00:23):
every day for their daily commute. And I can tell
you I've not experienced the traffic that's going to be
there without you being able to turn, and you have
to go straight as you enter Louisville from the Southern
Indiana side. But man, I'd say nine out of ten
times if I'm coming back into Louisville from that bridge,
the even I mean, I can't think of any time

(00:46):
ever where I've needed to go right, meaning where I'm
coming into Louisville and my destination is causing me to
take a right at that turning lane that of course
is on the corner right there by the YOUM Center.
But it's just routine. I'm now programmed to always go
right because I will quickly be able to get on
main Street and then take a left a few blocks

(01:07):
up and then hit sixty five South or really wherever
it is that I'm going. So to not have that
ability and have to go straight through that intersection, that
is awkward, to say the least. That I mean, I
can totally see that adding a lot of time and
a lot more sitting on the bridge rather than moving
to get where you where you want to be. But yeah,
WKY is covering it and not. I would be shocked

(01:29):
they if it took them a while to find people
wanting to voice their displeasure about those turning lanes being
closed because of the construction that's going on. So the
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's main Remade Corridor Improvement project is what
it's called. And I'm sure there's many people thinking, I
don't care what it's called. It's a pain in my
rear end because I now cannot turn right, and it's

(01:51):
probably something you've always done, depending upon I mean, again,
I'm sure I'm not alone as far as just it
really didn't matter where I'm needing to get to downtown,
my quickest way to get is going to be to
take that right and then kind of reroute if need be.
But yeah, this project aims to to convert portions of
Main Street into two way traffic, upgrade signals, improve crosswalks,

(02:11):
and add protected bike lanes. So again the current changes
at the Clark Memorial Bridge, so the two right turn
lanes are reduced to one, sidewalks extended to shortened crosswalks
and improve pedestrian safety, and temporary traffic flow allows right
turns from from a through lane. So again there the
changes are going to make it better overall, but while

(02:32):
they work on it, it's it's causing some real issues,
And yeah, I get it. Says here in the story
that the drivers say that it's added about fifteen minutes
roughly to their commute, and that they may not sound
like a lot, but I feel like if you just
all of a sudden have fifteen more minutes added, you're
going to notice it and you're probably gonna be frustrated.
And I totally get it, all right. So we'll get

(02:55):
into this a little bit more as we after we
get another update on traffic and weather, But the JCPS
situation continues to more than anything, fascinate me, just because
it seems to just be such a mess. You've got
a new superintendent who now tells us that he was
not aware of the exact amount of a deficit that

(03:16):
JCPS was facing when he took the job. And I'm
not sure if that has been talked about a whole lot,
but WDRB did get confirmation that he was aware of
a financial deficit, but did not know that one hundred
and eighty eight million was in fact the deficit. So
I mean, I think that's a substantial piece of information
when you consider the fact that he's taken on a

(03:37):
job that is a pretty thankless job, and there's a
lot of challenges that he is walking into that he
has no control over. And yeah, it'll be easy for
him to throw it at the feet of the former superintendent,
Marty Polio, but he also may just be telling the truth.
And yesterday I read an interesting article column from Joe

(03:58):
Girth at The Courier Journal who highlighted the fact that
they that and I guess maybe this isn't a fact,
but certainly seems to be the case. And it makes
sense for this to play out the way that it
did the last forty eight hours, where a twelve fifteen
on Tuesday, we've got a plan. We've hired a firm.
They're going to give us an audit and tell us
how we got in this situation and give us a

(04:19):
better game plan to get out of it. Well, then
that same day, after a board meeting that night, they
didn't say no, they're going to put it up for
an RFP, and they're going to have, you know, basically
let people bid on this job and not go with
who he'd already he'd already hired. And you know, I'm thinking, Okay, well,
maybe it's maybe it's just a process that they have
to follow that doctor Yearwood wasn't aware of. Maybe that's

(04:41):
the case, But it sounds like they don't truly know
exactly how big their deficit is. They don't they don't really.
I mean, I think they have a good idea, but
the audit is going to actually tell them, Okay, yeah,
you've got a financial crisis on your hands. You're gonna
have to make some cuts. But not knowing exactly what
the number is, I mean, and that the first up
and figuring things out right. So it's a mess. It's

(05:04):
a mess. And it sounds like Marty Poyo has continued
to maintain that there was nobody being misled, and that
nobody should be claiming that this is a surprise. But
I mean, and I guess, you know, the average citizen
wouldn't know because they're not involved, but for those involved
to claim the board essentially to claim that they were misled.

(05:25):
He's pushed back on that, but I'm not sure I'm
believing it. But he's long gone. Now he's moved on,
and he's got a new gig, and now there's still
a big mess. And unfortunately, I think, and we can
get to this again. On the other side, I think,
you know, you put somebody in position that, even at
the time you knew, had zero experience, and there's going

(05:46):
to be a lot of impact from that if that
person's been in that position unqualified for a really long time.
And I think that's why we're here, among many other things.
And technically, to be fair to Marty, you know, wasn't
his fault. They gave him the gig, and clearly he
had no experience running a school district of any size,
let alone the biggest one in the state. All right,
quick break, we've got traffic of weather updates on the way.

(06:08):
On wrew's radio eight forty whs. So to pick up
where we left off on the conversation about the JCPS shortfall,
financial shortfall, it could be anywhere between fifty million and
one hundred and eighty eight million, depending upon which estimate
you look at, and the uncertainty itself is. It sounds

(06:29):
like part of what has stalled the immediate action where
you need to get an audit to basically audit what
your real deficit actually is. And maybe that's not that unusual. Again,
I just think the last forty eight hours, not a
whole lot has really changed in the grand scheme of
things as far as the issues that they face. But

(06:50):
the optics of it don't make it look as anybody,
if anybody, really has a true clue as to what
how big the problem is financially. Therefore, that's going to
lead to you having a delay in addressing it and
actually taking the corrective action to get yourself out of
this situation, if that's even possible, right, I mean, I
don't think we're far from hearing the talk of shutting

(07:13):
down some of these schools, smaller schools, smaller elementary schools.
Maybe in JCPS. I mean, I'm sure they don't want
to do that, but you know, when it comes down
to the options you have here without throwing it all
at taxpayers and expecting them to join in and you know,
pay more, I'm not really sure. Again, I wouldn't be
the one that would know, so trust me, I'm not
an expert, but I just if I was to hear

(07:36):
of certain cost cutting measures that are going to be
required to salvage this situation, I'm not sure one that
I would hear that, I would say, Wow, that really
shocks me, because when you talk about a potential deficit
of one hundred and eighty eight million, I mean you've
got to take some significant action to and make some
big changes in order to get out of that situation.

(07:57):
So at the end of the day, I think families
in Louisville just they want a functioning school system. And
right now you can clearly see some finger pointing when
it comes to those that are in place now and
and those that that were during this entire ordeal and
now they're gone, and yet the mess is still there.
And seemingly Marti Poyo, former superintendent, doesn't necessarily want people

(08:21):
to believe that that all of it is his fault.
And I get it. I mean, I would probably find
myself wanting to be defensive as well if in fact
I felt like it wasn't wasn't as much my doing
as people claimed. But it's hard to argue that that
he was really qualified at the time to oversee the finances,

(08:42):
and that's a big part of his gig among many.
But when it comes to the hole they're in, what
I hear more than anything is the end of COVID
relief funds that really change things. They clearly weren't prepared
for those funds to I guess, be there forever. And
then you have unfunded state mandates, just higher operating costs

(09:04):
like bus upkeep, technology replacements. It's just little things that
you know, and there's not it's not just one thing
here or there. I mean, there's a lot of things
that put you in this type of a hole financially.
But some of it I guess was avoidable by leadership,
and it wasn't avoided and that's why there's there's there's
some clear criticism from the previous I mean, look, there's
criticism for the previous leadership at JCPS seemingly the whole time,

(09:29):
and that's unfortunate. But again they gave the job to
somebody who really had no experience in that specific role
at any level, and to be here years later and
see that there's a big mess. I mean, can you
say you're that surprised. Yeah, maybe it's maybe it's way
worse than you should ever expect. But still maybe this
is just the cost of doing business essentially when you

(09:51):
make that decision. All right, let's get to a quick
update of trafficking. Whether we'll see how the roadways are
looking as we get this Thursday morning started at six
twenty one Coffee and Company. Feel about Thorton's with you
right here, News Radio eight forty whas. So it is
day two of a government shut down, and I'm sure
many have yet to feel any real impact, but the

(10:11):
airport here in Louisville already warning folks that, yes, despite
many airport workers still being viewed as essential TSA and whatnot,
there are some, I guess, other positions within the whole
process of the day to day operations that maybe aren't essential.
Therefore they've been furloughed and that could cause a delay.
And this is not I've not seen this as far

(10:32):
as any any specific warning that's been put out. But
I'm just thinking of other scenarios where despite there still
being folks that are required to come to work despite
not being paid, which is a wild concept to think about.
You know, that's usually how it works, right, I come
to take a job and do it and at work,
and then you pay me. But whenever the government shut

(10:53):
down and you rely on the government funding to pay
your paycheck, that's how you end up in a situation
like this. But I mean, if I was someone that
maybe realize I got some vacation to burn before the
end of the year, I'd be more inclined to take
it now, maybe just because there are certain people understandably,
so that just the notion like it being on your mind.
I'm working here, doing what I do every day, but

(11:16):
as of now, unless they get this thing figured out,
I won't be paid. And yeah, still eventually be paid,
and that matters. That's a big part of this whole thing,
But just the knowing that you have no control and
it'll get taken care of whenever they get it figured out,
whenever they decide to work together and get it get
it done. And again, you have no real control over that.
So I was trying yesterday to think about if I

(11:38):
was in the shoes of some of these folks, I
would I mean, I'd like to think I would be
as positive as possible and understand that it's out of
my control and just go to work like I do
every day. But I'm sure every now and then you think,
I hope they get this figured out, because right now,
if you compare where we are as far as cost
of living and just how expensive everything is to twenty nineteen,

(12:01):
I'm sure there are people that were still living in
a big way check to check but now they're still
doing that. But I'm sure they're they're probably budgeted. Their
budget's probably even more. I mean, it's not good. So
you may see some delays at the airport, which maybe
if you don't work for the government or you don't
know anybody that does, maybe that'll be the first time

(12:22):
you actually feel the effects of a government shut down.
Or you could just go to the airport and have
a crappy situation that has nothing to do with the
government shutdown, because sometimes that just happens. There's no more
helpless experience that I know of than relying on transportation
via airline, because sometimes it's seamless and you have a

(12:43):
great experience, and then sometimes for reasons you have no
control over, it's a nightmare. You just really don't know
what you're gonna get. In fact, speaking of that, I
had a friend who recently had a trip for work,
and he was gone about five six days, and he
was on his way back home home, clearly wanting to
get home back to his family, and he experienced something

(13:03):
for the first time that I've yet to experience, and
I hope that I never do, but that is an
unruly passenger that ends up needing to be kicked off
the plane, and they won't get up, so they have
to deboard the entire plane, and of course just delay
your entire process, which yeah, I mean, I've seen a
lot of videos of those that surface, not only from

(13:24):
people who are on the plane, videoing as the entire
plane tries to encourage this drunk idiot to just get
up and get off the plane. You're going to jail,
you're not going to be on this flight. Just don't
make you know you've already ruined your day, maybe your life.
Let's not make it any worse for other people. But
oftentimes that doesn't work. So I've seen the videos of
not just the passengers that are just documenting an awful experience,

(13:48):
but also body cam footage, and yeah, you know, if
you're that deep, maybe you just feel like, Okay, let's
just make this as big of let me be as
big of a pain in the rear end as I
can possibly be, because I've already put myself in a
situation where I've for unknown reasons, but most likely the
reason is because you drank too much at the airport,
You're gonna end up on a no fly list, You're

(14:08):
going to get arrested. But you know, maybe if maybe,
if you have that, if you're that far into it,
you may think, okay that who cares, I'm gonna I'm
gonna ruin everybody else's day too by making them late
wherever they want to go. But yeah, I've yet to
experience that. I hope I never do, but it happens.
All right, We'll talk about what happened in twenty eighteen,
twenty nineteen, the last time we were in this position
with the government shutdown, because at that time, somebody by

(14:31):
the name of Mitch McConnell had a lot more, had
a lot more power, and were there were understandably so
state employees that were putting up billboards and protesting, of course,
because they wanted this thing fixed, because they wanted they
didn't want to have to worry about when they're going
to eventually get their paycheck. So we'll get to that
in a lot more. It is Kentucky and it's morning news,
and it's coffee company. Feel about Thornton's News Radio eight

(14:53):
forty whas coffee and company with you here on news
Radio eight forty WHA. We are fueled by Thornton's. Make
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All right. So here's what we're gonna do coming up
a little bit later on. We're gonna give away another
pair of tickets to the Wine on the River event

(16:18):
next week in at the Belvedere. I know a lot
of our folks here at iHeart looking forward to that,
and we're giving away more tickets today, so we'll do
that at seven fifteen. So again seven to fifteen will
open up the phone lines and the first two to
get through will be those that are allowed to compete here.
And yesterday worked out well because the trivia questions not

(16:39):
a single one was answered correctly. They were a little
bit difficult, although I think at least some of them.
It wouldn't have been a shocker if we had some
other participants if they got at least one or two
correct But nonetheless it worked out to where we didn't
give away a winner on Tuesday because I'd forgotten. So
both the participated played won't be able to do that today,
so they'll be a true winner. And again it's seven fifteen,
that's when we'll do that, all right. So the last

(17:01):
time that the government shut down in Kentucky, there was
a real impact given the fact that it lasted longer
than most. In fact, it was the longest we've ever
been shut down as the government. So again, it started
in twenty eighteen, ended in twenty nineteen because of course
December to January there, but the biggest political target then
at that point to get this thing resolved was was
Senator Mitch McConnell. And you had some real pressure from

(17:25):
correctional workers at the Kentucky at the time five federal prisons.
I don't know if they have more now or less,
but they were working unpaid, doing mandatory shifts, and they
put up billboards statewide demanding McConnell quote in the shutdown now.
And at the time, of course McConnell was GOP Senate
leader and had more power to shape negotiations, but at

(17:48):
that time he was hesitant to move without assurance from
Trump at that time. So that time, then Representative John Yarmouth,
you know, he was stepping in his House budget chair
and blasted McConnell for waiting on Trump instead of pushing
the Senate to act sooner. So certainly some fingerpointing going
on at that time, understandably so. And after thirty five days,
Trump eventually signed a bipartisan bill to reopen the government,

(18:10):
ending the longest shut down in US history. So those
are the kind of things that if this does linger
for a certain amount of time, don't really know what
the threshold would be, but you may see similar things
this time around, because nobody likes to go without a paycheck.
And yes, you get some clear you're going to get
it eventually. And creditors your landlord, I mean they're not

(18:34):
going to be able to take action against you during
this situation, during this time, but still less than ideal
for folks that you know, probably are living check to
check more so now than they were in twenty eighteen
and nineteen. All right, let's get to a quick time out.
We've got trafficking weather updates on the way. Also we
will get a sports update from Scott Fitzgerald. It's six
fifty two here at News Radio eight forty whas