A school integration expert hired by the Jefferson County Board of Education to review the system's student assignment plan unveiled the results of a survey of JCPS parents and students Thursday.UCLA professor Dr. Gary Orfield says a survey of more than 1,000 parents found that 69-percent of them were satisfied with their child's school assignment and 87-percent were satisfied with the quality of their child's education. "I think that there's been a perception spread around the community and the state legislature that there's a tremendous amount of discontent with the plan in the city, and I think our survey says that's not true among the parents and among the students," he said.Orfield's survey found less satisfaction, 54-percent, regarding how well the new student assignment plan has been implemented, with particular concerns about long bus rides for some students. He says his team will study the problem and make recommendations to the board.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.