School Board Discusses Delaying Assignment Plans

The Jefferson County Board of Education has delayed a vote on when to implement the new middle and high school student assignment plan.The board met Wednesday to discuss the plan, which had already been delayed by a year while officials cleared up transportation issues with the new elementary assignment plan. Superintendent Sheldon Berman says the elementary school problems will not be an issue with older students."The high school and middle school transportation is nowhere near the complex system that the elementary is," says Berman. "As [transportation director] Rick Caple said, we were able to be very efficient about middle schools and high schools this year and we'll do that if we implement either or both."The board will vote on the delay on the 13th. Berman has offered a compromise. He suggested the board implement the middle school plan next year, but delay the high school assignment plan another year."One of the problems with postponement is that it has the appearance that we may delay and we're not going to move forward and I think this actually gives us the opportunity to move forward," said Berman.The Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the JCPS desegregation plan was unconstitutional. A new elementary assignment plan was implemented last year.