Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. I'm Tony Cruz News Radio A fort Ewhas.
Happy to have doctor Marty Polio, Jefferson County Public School Superintendent.
Appreciate you, Marty, thanks for joining us today. And just
about the end of this stuff, well, first semester looks like.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
You Yeah, definitely, and Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you, Tony.
And it's right up on the last few days of
the first semester. So always exciting time in schools.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Speaking of which, is there a deadline if people want
to see their student or the student wants to transfer
to a different locale. Are we up against that right now?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
We are up against the deadline. It's Friday for applying
for schools for next year. So this is obviously important
for families that are having a student in her kindergarten,
sixth grade or ninth grade. That would be you know,
the most important those transition times that everyone goes to
a new school, almost everyone. We do have some K
(00:59):
twelve schools. Then also if a student's interested and go
into a different school, this would be the time to
do that as well. There is a student transfer window
in the spring that you can accept transfers, but this
is the application deadline on.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Friday, Okay, very good. So and people can look that
up what on the j CPS website as well.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah, they'd be on the j CPS website and go
to school choice and they will have the application up
on the on the website. That can help them out
and give give them all the information they need on
their making their choices for next year.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So tell us how this has all gone this first
half of the school year for JCPS in your view.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, it's been a for us, it's it's been a
real positive first semester to this point. I mean I
never say anything until we get to the across the
finish line. So we got till Friday and so, but
you know, we've seen some real positive outcomes for our students.
I mean, the transportation is was a main one. We
had obviously had to cut a lot of transportation to
(02:03):
magnets and traditional schools, but in the end that did
exactly what I wanted it too, was to ensure that
every student was on time to school. We weren't missing
instructional minutes. Every student was home in a safe and
efficient manner, and that's just the service we can provide.
So that has been you know, really positive. We've seen
positive outcomes and some of our reading scores on our
(02:25):
assessments from last year to this year, we've seen a
decrease in student absenteeism and chronic absenteeism, so you know,
lots of positives. And you know, I've got to spend
about a whole day, two days in schools last week,
one with the Commissioner of Education and just really positive visits.
So I've been very pleased with what's happening in our
(02:46):
schools right.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Now, tell us a little bit more about the commissioner
and what you guys discussed, if you don't mind, Delvin.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, sure, I mean Commissioner Fletcher was from Lawrence County
in eastern Kentucky and was a superintendent for many we
believe about ten years as well. Fantastic superintendent. So I
knew Robbie for you know, many years before he got
this position. But I was very pleased he got the position.
I know he's qualified to do it and is doing
(03:15):
a great job, and really the first commissioner who's come
and spent a whole day in j CPS. And when
we invited him, I just said, you know, I know,
you hear a lot of things about j CPS just
just come into our schools. And so we went from
Echo Trail in the East end of Louisville to Iroquois
High School, Western High School, Bick Elementary, and West Louisville,
Grace James Academy in West Louisville, and Goodermouth in South Louisville.
(03:39):
And so I wanted him to experience all the different
schools that we have in j CPS. And really, I
think the conversations we had was he was really blown
away by what he saw in j CPS schools and
very positive about interactions with kids and being in classrooms
and so, you know, I think he came away with
a very positive feel for what's happening in JCPS. And
(04:01):
that's just what I wanted to see. A lot of people, Tony,
you know, will talk about JCPS or throw stones for instance,
but haven't spent any time in a school. And I say,
when you spend time in a school, your opinion changes.
And he was very positive about his time in our
JCPS schools.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Yeah, it's really interesting when you know, I don't have
children in school in public school anymore. I've got adult
children now, and so you know, anytime I get a
chance to go and read with one of the elementary schools,
I usually take them up on it because it's it's
just kind of eye opening and actually no offense to
the education I received from JCPS when I was a kid.
(04:39):
But it seems like the curriculum is even a lot
stronger than when I was there a long time ago.
To say it that way, well.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah, it's definitely more unified, and it's more driven. It's
centralized by the state, and so but we've made some
real inroads in what we want to do with teaching,
especially reading and math, that we're really proud of. So,
you know, I would just encourage anybody that if you
get an opportunity to get inside a JCPS.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
School, yeah, to do So let's take a break. We've
got one more segment with doctor Barney Polio here, Jefferson
County Public School Superintendent coming up next on news radio
eight forty WHAS talking to doctor Marty Polio. I'm Tony
Cruz news Radio eight forty WHS doctor Polio, of course,
superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. Marty, if you don't mind,
(05:25):
let's talk a little bit about the task Force, the
Efficient and Effective School Governance Task Force wants to extend
into I guess what would be the next semester to
have some discussions still there in Frankfurt. What have you
both learned from each other? And where do you think
this is all going?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, well, honestly, going into it, I was obviously very
cynical and skeptical about it, just wondering if it would
be you know, fair and you know, without agendas or
political And to be honest with you, I've been I've
been rather pleased with the dialogue that's taken place in
(06:08):
Frankfurt with this commission. You know, I think what in
my opinion just listening, I mean I had not spoken
to any of the members. You know, we have a
principal on there and a couple of teachers, so I've
had the opportunity to speak to them a little bit.
But you know, I feel that the what they heard
about j CPS from a multitude of people was very
(06:29):
positive and so it was clear. I mean, I think
everybody knows one of the meetings talked about us screwing
up the first day of school, as specifically me on
a year and a half ago. But I think that's
pretty common knowledge. But other than that, I think it
was very positive what the Commission heard, and so I
thought the dialogue was good. I thought I was. I
(06:49):
honestly believe it was more far and from a larger
scale on ed public education altogether and how we can
improve it. So I'm hopeful, you know, I won't be
around for the conclude of it, but I'm hopeful that
this becomes a positive thing for education and really educates
the public and legislators and helps us improve in JCPS
(07:09):
as well.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Well, it's about a month and a half ago from
the November second election. But were you surprised Kentucky voters
overwhelming struck down Amendment two? For those people who are
disappointed would like to see charter schools the whole thing,
what do you have to tell them within the JCPS
confines here.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Well, I was no, I was not surprised. I was
surprised that all one hundred counties overwhelmingly supported it. I mean,
I was surprised that it was sixty nine nearly sixty
nine percent. I believe in JCPS and some West Louisville
precincts it's ninety six percent. And I think the message
that it just sends is you know, people support across
the Commonwealth and across the nation public schools. There were
(07:51):
three bills Tony like this across the nation, Nebraska, I believe, Colago,
and then obviously Kentucky. In all three lost by double digits.
So in the end, people support their public schools, and
they like their public schools. I mean, there's no doubt
about it. And so I think anything that sees from
(08:12):
a grander scale, yes, there might be some you know,
complaints about you know, whether it might be at the
federal level or state level or either in the large
district central office. But most people really like their schools,
and so I think that's what it said. And you know,
I've come to terms. I believe that there can be
other ways that you can successfully educate kids. Whether that's
(08:35):
private schools, whether that's charter schools, all of those can
be great options for kids. I think it just comes
down to whether the community wants funding for those schools
or not from the taxpayers, and there's a lot of
issues when that comes into play. So in the end,
I was pleased with the result. I know some people weren't,
but I was pleased with the result. I was definitely
pleased to see such an overwhelming victory.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
There's talk that there's a possibility at least that some
want to give up the education Department on a federal level.
What would that do to public education?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Well, our biggest thing. I mean, yeah, there's times I
get frustrated with the Department of Education at the federal
level and some of the requirements they put on us.
I have to be honest with you, so you know,
I share some frustrations with the federal government's Department of
Education at times, although they do good work as well.
(09:31):
I think the biggest thing for most districts are going
to be funding. There's two streams of funding that come
from the federal government idea which is special education funding,
which is a very large pot, and then what's called
Title I, which goes to all districts across America for
students and poverty. I think those are very important funding
sources for schools. So I think the main thing that
(09:53):
schools districts would want to know is if the Department
of Education is not going to be there, then who
is going to provide what government agency is going to
provide those funding sources? Because you're talking to the billions
and billions of dollars for every district rural, suburban, urban
district across America that really support our highest needs kids,
(10:14):
and that would be tragic if districts didn't have access
to those funds anymore. But you know, I think that's
the biggest thing. So I think it could be done
from another department, but that would be the I think
the I think school districts will be looking at the closest.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
And I think that we have to have some kind
of baseline of what kids need to learn in school, right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I mean the argument is really it's a state driven
decision from state to state that is done. I think
the federal government, I mean, the biggest thing they really
are are dictators accountability so that you can get those funds.
So you know, I mean it's there's a lot of
aspects of the Department of Education that are really important.
So I think it's gonna have to be thought out well.
(10:56):
If that's going to happen, it really needs to be
thought out well. I think just dropping it would be
a mistake.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Finally, just some good news, some cool things going on
at Western High School. I wish I was a kid again.
Go to Western pre what esports are gonna have an
esports arena there?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Man, Tony, the esports arena is amazing. I mean what
the kids can do now I walk in there, I
have no idea what they're doing. By the way, I
just remember pac Man and Donkey Kong. We had five
quarters and could go to the arcade and play for
an hour at the most. But times have changed. But
I mean this esports arena and what the kids are
going to I mean the coding, the building of computers,
(11:37):
the gaming, the you know all that. I wish I
could speak to it more. But it's just absolutely amazing.
I was blown away by it what the kids can
do and what they're and I mean kids are going
to college now based upon esports scholarships. So I mean
this is this is the way of the future, and
I mean it is completely reshaping Western High School and
(11:59):
it just I mean, kid, they're going to be clamoring
to go to that school just to be able to
do the things that kids can do in a school
like that.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Well, the thing, you know, kids these days only do
is play on these computers and or you know, gaming consoles.
A lot of those kids become software developers too, and
you know, all kinds of different competitions. I've got a
friend of mine or my son has a friend who's
doing exactly that right now.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yep, you know it's exactly right. So it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, great talking with you. Happy Merry Christmas, Happy holidays
to you and all the good folks there at JCPS,
and happy Hanico as well. Thank you, Tony, have a
great one, all right, you too, Marty Polio, Jefferson County
Public School Superintendent here on Kentuckiana's Warty News
Good morning. I'm Tony Cruz News Radio A fort Ewhas.
Happy to have doctor Marty Polio, Jefferson County Public School Superintendent.
Appreciate you, Marty, thanks for joining us today. And just
about the end of this stuff, well, first semester looks like.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
You Yeah, definitely, and Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you, Tony.
And it's right up on the last few days of
the first semester. So always exciting time in schools.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Speaking of which, is there a deadline if people want
to see their student or the student wants to transfer
to a different locale. Are we up against that right now?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
We are up against the deadline. It's Friday for applying
for schools for next year. So this is obviously important
for families that are having a student in her kindergarten,
sixth grade or ninth grade. That would be you know,
the most important those transition times that everyone goes to
a new school, almost everyone. We do have some K
(00:59):
twelve schools. Then also if a student's interested and go
into a different school, this would be the time to
do that as well. There is a student transfer window
in the spring that you can accept transfers, but this
is the application deadline on.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Friday, Okay, very good. So and people can look that
up what on the j CPS website as well.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah, they'd be on the j CPS website and go
to school choice and they will have the application up
on the on the website. That can help them out
and give give them all the information they need on
their making their choices for next year.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So tell us how this has all gone this first
half of the school year for JCPS in your view.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, it's been a for us, it's it's been a
real positive first semester to this point. I mean I
never say anything until we get to the across the
finish line. So we got till Friday and so, but
you know, we've seen some real positive outcomes for our students.
I mean, the transportation is was a main one. We
had obviously had to cut a lot of transportation to
(02:03):
magnets and traditional schools, but in the end that did
exactly what I wanted it too, was to ensure that
every student was on time to school. We weren't missing
instructional minutes. Every student was home in a safe and
efficient manner, and that's just the service we can provide.
So that has been you know, really positive. We've seen
positive outcomes and some of our reading scores on our
(02:25):
assessments from last year to this year, we've seen a
decrease in student absenteeism and chronic absenteeism, so you know,
lots of positives. And you know, I've got to spend
about a whole day, two days in schools last week,
one with the Commissioner of Education and just really positive visits.
So I've been very pleased with what's happening in our
(02:46):
schools right.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Now, tell us a little bit more about the commissioner
and what you guys discussed, if you don't mind, Delvin.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, sure, I mean Commissioner Fletcher was from Lawrence County
in eastern Kentucky and was a superintendent for many we
believe about ten years as well. Fantastic superintendent. So I
knew Robbie for you know, many years before he got
this position. But I was very pleased he got the position.
I know he's qualified to do it and is doing
(03:15):
a great job, and really the first commissioner who's come
and spent a whole day in j CPS. And when
we invited him, I just said, you know, I know,
you hear a lot of things about j CPS just
just come into our schools. And so we went from
Echo Trail in the East end of Louisville to Iroquois
High School, Western High School, Bick Elementary, and West Louisville,
Grace James Academy in West Louisville, and Goodermouth in South Louisville.
(03:39):
And so I wanted him to experience all the different
schools that we have in j CPS. And really, I
think the conversations we had was he was really blown
away by what he saw in j CPS schools and
very positive about interactions with kids and being in classrooms
and so, you know, I think he came away with
a very positive feel for what's happening in JCPS. And
(04:01):
that's just what I wanted to see. A lot of people, Tony,
you know, will talk about JCPS or throw stones for instance,
but haven't spent any time in a school. And I say,
when you spend time in a school, your opinion changes.
And he was very positive about his time in our
JCPS schools.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Yeah, it's really interesting when you know, I don't have
children in school in public school anymore. I've got adult
children now, and so you know, anytime I get a
chance to go and read with one of the elementary schools,
I usually take them up on it because it's it's
just kind of eye opening and actually no offense to
the education I received from JCPS when I was a kid.
(04:39):
But it seems like the curriculum is even a lot
stronger than when I was there a long time ago.
To say it that way, well.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah, it's definitely more unified, and it's more driven. It's
centralized by the state, and so but we've made some
real inroads in what we want to do with teaching,
especially reading and math, that we're really proud of. So,
you know, I would just encourage anybody that if you
get an opportunity to get inside a JCPS.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
School, yeah, to do So let's take a break. We've
got one more segment with doctor Barney Polio here, Jefferson
County Public School Superintendent coming up next on news radio
eight forty WHAS talking to doctor Marty Polio. I'm Tony
Cruz news Radio eight forty WHS doctor Polio, of course,
superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. Marty, if you don't mind,
(05:25):
let's talk a little bit about the task Force, the
Efficient and Effective School Governance Task Force wants to extend
into I guess what would be the next semester to
have some discussions still there in Frankfurt. What have you
both learned from each other? And where do you think
this is all going?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, well, honestly, going into it, I was obviously very
cynical and skeptical about it, just wondering if it would
be you know, fair and you know, without agendas or
political And to be honest with you, I've been I've
been rather pleased with the dialogue that's taken place in
(06:08):
Frankfurt with this commission. You know, I think what in
my opinion just listening, I mean I had not spoken
to any of the members. You know, we have a
principal on there and a couple of teachers, so I've
had the opportunity to speak to them a little bit.
But you know, I feel that the what they heard
about j CPS from a multitude of people was very
(06:29):
positive and so it was clear. I mean, I think
everybody knows one of the meetings talked about us screwing
up the first day of school, as specifically me on
a year and a half ago. But I think that's
pretty common knowledge. But other than that, I think it
was very positive what the Commission heard, and so I
thought the dialogue was good. I thought I was. I
(06:49):
honestly believe it was more far and from a larger
scale on ed public education altogether and how we can
improve it. So I'm hopeful, you know, I won't be
around for the conclude of it, but I'm hopeful that
this becomes a positive thing for education and really educates
the public and legislators and helps us improve in JCPS
(07:09):
as well.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Well, it's about a month and a half ago from
the November second election. But were you surprised Kentucky voters
overwhelming struck down Amendment two? For those people who are
disappointed would like to see charter schools the whole thing,
what do you have to tell them within the JCPS
confines here.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Well, I was no, I was not surprised. I was
surprised that all one hundred counties overwhelmingly supported it. I mean,
I was surprised that it was sixty nine nearly sixty
nine percent. I believe in JCPS and some West Louisville
precincts it's ninety six percent. And I think the message
that it just sends is you know, people support across
the Commonwealth and across the nation public schools. There were
(07:51):
three bills Tony like this across the nation, Nebraska, I believe, Colago,
and then obviously Kentucky. In all three lost by double digits.
So in the end, people support their public schools, and
they like their public schools. I mean, there's no doubt
about it. And so I think anything that sees from
(08:12):
a grander scale, yes, there might be some you know,
complaints about you know, whether it might be at the
federal level or state level or either in the large
district central office. But most people really like their schools,
and so I think that's what it said. And you know,
I've come to terms. I believe that there can be
other ways that you can successfully educate kids. Whether that's
(08:35):
private schools, whether that's charter schools, all of those can
be great options for kids. I think it just comes
down to whether the community wants funding for those schools
or not from the taxpayers, and there's a lot of
issues when that comes into play. So in the end,
I was pleased with the result. I know some people weren't,
but I was pleased with the result. I was definitely
pleased to see such an overwhelming victory.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
There's talk that there's a possibility at least that some
want to give up the education Department on a federal level.
What would that do to public education?
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Well, our biggest thing. I mean, yeah, there's times I
get frustrated with the Department of Education at the federal
level and some of the requirements they put on us.
I have to be honest with you, so you know,
I share some frustrations with the federal government's Department of
Education at times, although they do good work as well.
(09:31):
I think the biggest thing for most districts are going
to be funding. There's two streams of funding that come
from the federal government idea which is special education funding,
which is a very large pot, and then what's called
Title I, which goes to all districts across America for
students and poverty. I think those are very important funding
sources for schools. So I think the main thing that
(09:53):
schools districts would want to know is if the Department
of Education is not going to be there, then who
is going to provide what government agency is going to
provide those funding sources? Because you're talking to the billions
and billions of dollars for every district rural, suburban, urban
district across America that really support our highest needs kids,
(10:14):
and that would be tragic if districts didn't have access
to those funds anymore. But you know, I think that's
the biggest thing. So I think it could be done
from another department, but that would be the I think
the I think school districts will be looking at the closest.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
And I think that we have to have some kind
of baseline of what kids need to learn in school, right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
I mean the argument is really it's a state driven
decision from state to state that is done. I think
the federal government, I mean, the biggest thing they really
are are dictators accountability so that you can get those funds.
So you know, I mean it's there's a lot of
aspects of the Department of Education that are really important.
So I think it's gonna have to be thought out well.
(10:56):
If that's going to happen, it really needs to be
thought out well. I think just dropping it would be
a mistake.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Finally, just some good news, some cool things going on
at Western High School. I wish I was a kid again.
Go to Western pre what esports are gonna have an
esports arena there?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Man, Tony, the esports arena is amazing. I mean what
the kids can do now I walk in there, I
have no idea what they're doing. By the way, I
just remember pac Man and Donkey Kong. We had five
quarters and could go to the arcade and play for
an hour at the most. But times have changed. But
I mean this esports arena and what the kids are
going to I mean the coding, the building of computers,
(11:37):
the gaming, the you know all that. I wish I
could speak to it more. But it's just absolutely amazing.
I was blown away by it what the kids can
do and what they're and I mean kids are going
to college now based upon esports scholarships. So I mean
this is this is the way of the future, and
I mean it is completely reshaping Western High School and
(11:59):
it just I mean, kid, they're going to be clamoring
to go to that school just to be able to
do the things that kids can do in a school
like that.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Well, the thing, you know, kids these days only do
is play on these computers and or you know, gaming consoles.
A lot of those kids become software developers too, and
you know, all kinds of different competitions. I've got a
friend of mine or my son has a friend who's
doing exactly that right now.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yep, you know it's exactly right. So it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, great talking with you. Happy Merry Christmas, Happy holidays
to you and all the good folks there at JCPS,
and happy Hanico as well. Thank you, Tony, have a
great one, all right, you too, Marty Polio, Jefferson County
Public School Superintendent here on Kentuckiana's Warty News
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