05-03-2025
JCPS should move its headquarters downtown to proposed 'Education District'
Dear Superintendent Marty Pollio and JCPS board members,
We, the undersigned group of downtown Louisville-based educational, community and business leaders strongly encourage Jefferson County Public Schools' consideration of relocating its headquarters to downtown Louisville.
A vibrant city center that integrates educational, civic, and business leadership will be crucial for our city's future success. JCPS' presence downtown would demonstrate its commitment to the community and have an immediate positive impact.
Specifically, we recommend that you locate the JCPS headquarters in what we are in the process of proposing as the city's Education District, concentrated around the Broadway and Fourth Street corridors and for which the proposed boundaries are Kentucky to Muhammad Ali and Second to Seventh streets.
This group has been meeting since June 2024 and includes the educational institutions that exist in the area and adjacent, including Jefferson Community and Technical College, Francis Parker School of Louisville, Presentation Academy, Simmons College, the Kentucky College of Art + Design, the Main Branch of the Free Public Library and several JCPS campuses (Brown, Central, Ahrens and Coleridge Taylor) and the University of Louisville (UofL's Envirome Institute and Community Engagement) entities as well.
This is a unique opportunity for JCPS to secure affordable premises in the heart of our city and serve as a major catalyst in fostering a dynamic, collaborative Education District. Your relocation would strengthen ties with key civic, cultural and business institutions, benefiting students, families, and the broader community. It would also underscore JCPS' commitment to equity, accessibility and community engagement.
Your leadership and vision are deeply appreciated. We are inspired by JCPS' dedication to cultivating a brighter future for Louisville's children. Please consider the lasting impact your headquarters would have on reinvigorating the heart of our city.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We are happy to provide any additional supportor information as you move forward with this important decision.
Education District of Louisville, 4th and Broadway Corridor Advocates: Amy Skretney Fowler of Presentation Academy, 40203; Rebecca Fleischaker of Louisville Downtown Partnership, 40202; Courtney Abboud of Metropolitan College, 40202; Alexandra Thurstone of Francis Parker School of Louisville, 40202; Ty Handy of Jefferson College, 40202; Moira Scott Payne of KY College of Art + Design, 40203; Kevin W. Cosby, Ph.D., of Simmons College of Kentucky, 40203; Aruni Bhatnagar of the University of Louisville's Envirome Institute, 40202; Chandra Gordon of The Library Foundation, 40202; Nagendra Jella of McDonalds on Broadway, 40202; Christina Lee Brown of Owsley Brown II Family Foundation, 40202; Rolf Provan of Luckett & Farley Architects, Engineers, & Const., 40202; Stephen Reily of Remuseum and IMC Licensing, 40202; JP Davis of JP Davis Partners, 40202; Gant Hill of Gant Hill Associates, representative for the Heyburn Building, 40202; John Birnsteel of Doe-Anderson, 40202; Stephen George, American Journalism Project, 40202; Randall L. Bloch of Bloch Investments LLC, owners of several properties on Broadway, 40202.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS move could help form a downtown Education District | Letter
