Weeks after pausing a plan to close several schools, Jefferson County (Kentucky) school district leaders are once again seeking to close schools ahead of the next academic year.
The Courier-Journal reports that the district still intends to close King and Zachary Taylor elementaries to help address needed budget cuts, according to a presentation from Superintendent Brian Yearwood during an Audit and Risk Management Advisory Committee on Jan. 14.
One school previously on the list — Liberty High — is no longer slated for closure and instead could be moved to Male High's campus. The district also no longer plans to relocate Waller-Williams Environmental and the Georgia Chaffee Teenage Parent Program.
The school board decided last month to delay a vote on closures after members said they needed more time to review the plan.
Yearwood has proposed $142 million in cuts for the 2026-27 budget, including $44 million from the district's central office, which involves eliminating about 300 positions and reorganizing its leadership; $41 million from "school budget funds that are not directly tied to student instruction;" and $30 million from ongoing union negotiations, though that figure could change.
District officials say the main reason for closing Zachary Taylor is that enrollment is under 50% its optimal capacity. The school opened in 1959 in east Louisville, and its last major renovation was in 1990.
Students attending King Elementary will be relocated to Maupin Elementary. The two schools are about a 9-minute drive apart.
King's enrollment is about 67% of its building's optimal capacity, and Maupin's is about 53%. Maupin is a newer building, constructed in 1998, and King's building was constructed in 1968 and underwent significant renovations in 1988.
The district says Maupin is a "more cost-effective facility," though the difference in cost per student between Maupin and King is not significant. An internal calculation shows the district spends just over $33,000 per student at King; Maupin's rate is about $30,500.
