Weather Closes Schools After Emotional Meeting on Permanent Closures

A Kentucky school district has closed all schools due to bad weather on Tuesday, following an emotional meeting about proposed school closures and changes.

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) said on its website that due to inclement weather, Tuesday, December 2 will be a “Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) day for JCPS students and staff.” The announcement also said that all after-school athletic and extracurricular activities were canceled.

It came just hours after a public forum was held on Monday, where Superintendent Brian Yearwood addressed attendees about his proposal to close, consolidate and relocate several schools due to the district’s budget crisis. 

A spokesperson for the school district told Newsweek: “Our schools and buildings are closed today due to winter weather.” The spokesperson added that a second public forum that had been scheduled for Tuesday would now take place on Thursday.

Why It Matters

Yearwood announced the proposal for changes for the 2026-27 school year in November, saying they were driven by a “commitment to provide modern, high-quality and cost-effective learning environments for every student.”

It comes as the district is facing a $132 million budget deficit, according to the Courier Journal. The moves would reportedly save the district an estimated $4 million annually and possibly bring in additional money from property sales.

What to Know

The proposal calls for the closure of Zachary Taylor Elementary and Liberty High School, as well as consolidating King Elementary and Maupin Elementary, with the former closing.

Additionally, it calls for relocating Waller-Williams Environmental and the Georgia Chaffee Teenage Parent Program.

The plan, which the district said was informed by a tool developed by the district’s operations team to assess the costs of keeping a school open, was announced on November 20.

Yearwood told about 100 attendees at Monday’s forum at Kammerer Middle School that the district is “in a financial crisis,” according to the Courier Journal.

“I come before you not because I want to, but because I have to,” he said. “Our commitment is not to buildings, our commitment is to our children.

But more than a dozen people including teachers expressed their opposition to the plan, arguing the closures would do more harm than good, the newspaper reported.

What People Are Saying

Superintendent Brian Yearwood said in Monday’s meeting: “When we have to close schools, it’s emotional, draining, right? It affects students. It affects families, and it’s not something I want to do, right? I dislike this.”

He said in a statement alongside the announcement of the proposal:  “These are difficult but necessary steps. We made this decision after a thorough examination of the quality and capacity of our facilities and our educational models.”

Jill Canuel, a mental health practitioner at Liberty High, said during Monday’s forum: “Does the money the district saves outweigh the harmful effects on our students?”

She added: “Closing Liberty is an unnecessary disruption that our students do not need in their lives.”

Jessica Boone, a special education teacher at Zachary Taylor Elementary, said: “If Zachary Taylor closes, the students in my classroom and many more will lose more than a building. They will lose safety, stability and an environment that has allowed them to thrive.”

Taylor Everett, a member of the Jefferson County Public Schools Board of Education, told WHAS11 he had not decided how he would vote.

Asked if the views expressed at Monday’s meeting had an impact, Everett said: “100 percent. It’s really hard to balance the emotion plus the fiscal responsibility we have.”

What Happens Next

The proposal requires approval by the Jefferson County Board of Education.

Two more public forums are scheduled to take place this week, on Wednesday and Thursday, before the plan is presented to the board for a final vote on December 9.