Board approves closure and relocation of two elementary schools amid protests and warnings of harm to vulnerable students
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The Jefferson County Board of Education approved closures and a relocation for the 2026–27 year (King Elementary and Zachary Taylor closures; Liberty relocation to Gaines), prompting sustained public comment from principals, teachers, parents, mental-health staff and environmental advocates who warned of harms to students and demanded transition protections.
The Jefferson County Board of Education voted Jan. 20 to close King Elementary and Zachary Taylor Elementary and to relocate Liberty High School to the Gaines building for the 2026–27 school year after hearing hours of public comment raising safety, equity and transparency concerns.
The board motion to approve the closures and relocation was moved and seconded during the action-items portion of the meeting and carried by roll-call/voice tally; several board members opposed or abstained. Board debate before the vote included repeated calls for clear transition plans for affected students and for monitoring to prevent disruption to the most vulnerable children.
What speakers said: Staff, parents and community members warned of damaging consequences if the closures proceed without careful transition work. Jessica Boone, a Zachary Taylor teacher, said that families had been told the building required demolition but later learned the district planned to use the facility as a "swing space," calling the contradiction "shocking and deeply disheartening." (Quote attributed to Jessica Boone, SEG 1808–1816.) Community advocates pressing environmental and safety concerns also raised questions about Perry Elementary's mitigation systems and the Hudson Middle School brownfield site; speakers asked for ongoing monitoring and remediation rather than temporary mitigation.
Board response and transition assurances: Superintendent Yearwood described transition committees and monitoring plans for displaced students, saying the district would convene teams of principals, staff, parents and community members, and principal supervisors would monitor students as they matriculate to receiving schools. Board members suggested additional protections: limiting application barriers for displaced students seeking magnet or nearby placements and explicit plans for ECE supports and student monitoring.
Why it matters: School closures and relocations change students' daily routines, neighborhood access to school services, and the allocation of staff and resources. Speakers argued closures would disproportionately affect high-need communities and special-education populations; board members acknowledged the equity concerns while citing fiduciary duty and the district's multi-year fiscal challenges.
Vote and next steps: The motion to close and relocate was approved (vote recorded on the public record during action items). Staff were directed to provide transition plans, school-choice accommodations, and progress monitoring for receiving schools. The board received the draft general-fund budget as an informational item and will continue work on detailed implementation ahead of final budget adoption.
Ending: The approvals set in motion a planning process to move students and services; community members and board members said they expect detailed transition steps and monitoring reports to follow in the coming weeks.