JCPS Closed Friday Due To Teacher Absences, Hours After Lawmakers Pass Pension Bill

Hours after both houses of the Kentucky legislature passed a pension bill that will mostly affect future teachers and state workers, Jefferson County Public Schools announced on Twitter all schools will be closed today.

Similar announcements have been made by school districts across the state, including in Oldham County and Fayette County.

A JCPS spokesman told Courier-Journal that the absences were caused by a large number of teachers calling in sick.

As Capitol Reporter Ryland Barton reported late last night, both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly passed a last-minute pension bill attached to an unrelated bill dealing with governance of sewage districts.
The 291-page bill would no longer offer traditional pension plans to teachers hired after Jan. 1, 2019. New teachers would instead receive cash-balance retirement plans that would invest retirement contributions from employees and the state, and guarantee that the plans wouldn’t lose money during a stock market crash. The bill would also cap the amount of sick leave that teachers can accrue for retirement purposes as of Dec. 31, 2018.
In aFacebook post, the Jefferson County Teachers Association called for teachers to rally at the Capitol in protest of the pension bill Monday, but said it was not recommending a strike as some were calling for on social media.

This post has been updated.