Jefferson County Public Schools families have three things to watch this week. JCPS holds its last two strategic plan community forums Wednesday and Thursday nights. A district facilities committee votes Tuesday on a change to the long range building plan. And the fall deadline to apply for early entrance to kindergarten testing is Saturday, October 31, before 4 p.m.
Students are in class Monday, October 26, through Friday, October 30. Then comes a four day weekend: Halloween on Saturday, no school Monday, November 2, or Tuesday, November 3, and the 2027 to 2028 school choice window opens November 2.
What should JCPS families do before Monday?
If your child turns 5 between August 2 and October 31, 2027, and you want early entrance testing, complete the application on the district’s Early Admission to Kindergarten page. It is due before 4 p.m. Saturday, October 31.
If you want to weigh in on the strategic plan, RSVP for the Wednesday or Thursday forum.
Line up child care for Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3, when JCPS students are off.
Is the JCPS board meeting this week?
No. The Jefferson County Board of Education has no business meeting, work session, or special called meeting posted for October 25 to 31 on the KSBA public board portal, checked October 23, 2026. Special meetings would post there.
The next regular meeting is a work session Tuesday, November 10, according to the Board’s agenda planning calendar attached to the October 13 agenda. Planned topics include a racial equity policy update, the 2027 legislative agenda, and the annual audited financial report. No November 10 agenda had posted as of October 23.
The October 13 agenda says regular meetings stream live on the district’s YouTube channel and that each speaker gets three minutes.
What is the facilities committee voting on Tuesday?
The District Facilities Local Planning Committee meets Tuesday, October 27, at 5 p.m. Eastern at the C.B. Young Jr. Service Center, 3001 Crittenden Drive, Conference Rooms A and B. The agenda and notice are posted on the KSBA meeting page.
The District Facility Plan is the long range list of JCPS building projects. The October 21 notice says the purpose is “to review and vote to approve Draft District Facilities Plan (DFP) with Finding No. 01 and engage in public discussions.” The agenda calls a finding “a single ‘minor’ change” to the plan. If the committee approves, the draft goes to the Board for a final vote.
The notice does not say what Finding No. 01 covers, and the agenda says the draft link “will be inserted immediately prior to meeting.” The likely subject is on the record. On October 13, the Board approved, on its consent calendar, a request for a finding to add renovation of the donated KFC Corporation/YUM! Brands, Inc. property to the plan, including chillers, a fire alarm panel, and a new roof at the Tech Center. That item said the Board would then reconvene this committee.
The committee is advisory and “may not make decisions or take action that binds” the Board, its notice says. The public can attend in person. The agenda has no public comment item, and neither posted document explains how to speak or submit written comments. No livestream is listed.
Can parents weigh in on the new JCPS strategic plan?
Yes, this week. JCPS is writing a new five year strategic plan and is holding four community forums for staff, families, and community members, according to the district’s announcement. The last two are:
Wednesday, October 28, 6 to 8 p.m. Eastern, Central High School, 1130 West Chestnut Street.
Thursday, October 29, 6 to 8 p.m. Eastern, W.E.B. DuBois Academy, 4929 Poplar Level Road.
The RSVP forms say doors open at 5:30 p.m. The district says participants will hear a short presentation and “help inform the strategic plan’s priorities, mission and beliefs.” The announcement mentions no virtual option or online survey. Full details and RSVP links are on the district’s Strategic Plan Community Forums page.
What happened since last week?
The Goldsmith Lane items we flagged last week passed. Louisville Metro Council’s Appropriations Committee approved $65,000 for a sidewalk extension “completing the sidewalk to Seneca High School” and $30,000 for speed tables and crossing signs at Goldsmith Lane and Meadow Drive on October 21. Both items are marked approved in the committee’s official Legistar meeting record, rechecked October 23.
Is anything happening at Metro Council or in Frankfort?
Not much touching JCPS. The full Metro Council meets Thursday, October 29, according to a note on the October 21 education committee agenda. That council agenda was not on Legistar as of October 23, and nothing the education committee sent forward involves JCPS.
No Kentucky General Assembly education committee meets October 26 to 30, according to the 2026 interim calendar, amended October 19. The Interim Joint Committee on Education next meets Monday, November 9, at 11 a.m. Eastern, jointly with the Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee. No agenda was on the committee’s meeting materials page as of October 23.
The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) met October 7 and 8 and has nothing scheduled this week, per its KSBA meeting portal.
When is the early entrance to kindergarten deadline?
The fall deadline is Saturday, October 31, 2026, before 4 p.m. The district’s Early Admission to Kindergarten page, which JCPS Insider read on October 18 and again on October 23 with the same dates both times, says a child must live in Jefferson County and turn 5 between August 2 and October 31, 2027, to apply for testing for 2027 to 2028. Children who meet the criteria and have a completed application in by the deadline are tested in person from September through December 2026.
The final deadline is April 1, 2027, before 4 p.m., with spring testing. The page says the form “does not guarantee testing or early entrance to kindergarten.” Children must score at or above the 84th percentile on district academic, social emotional, and intelligence measures. Questions go to jcpsgifted@jefferson.kyschools.us.
Most families do not need this. The regular cutoff is August 1. See the JCPS Insider kindergarten guide for the standard process.
When are students off, and when does school choice open?
JCPS students have no school Monday, November 2, or Tuesday, November 3. The district’s 2026 to 2027 parent calendar lists November 2 as a professional development Gold Day and November 3 as Election Day. Book child care this week if you need it.
The 2027 to 2028 application window runs Monday, November 2, through Friday, December 18, 2026, according to the Student Assignment page, checked October 23. The page says applications are not handled first come, first served: “They all are processed at the same time at the end of the period.” The Office of School Choice is at 502-485-6250. The JCPS Insider school choice hub collects magnet and ranking guides, and the dates and deadlines page tracks the rest of the fall calendar.
When can you vote early?
No excuse early voting runs Thursday, October 29, through Saturday, October 31, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 24 sites plus a walk in or drive through site at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center South Wing, Door E19, 937 Phillips Lane, according to the Jefferson County Clerk. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. The clerk’s office is 502-574-5700.
Board of Education seats are on the ballot. The JCPS Insider board district finder and election guide show which race is yours.
What is there to do this Halloween weekend?
JCPS Insider checked the prices and hours below on each organizer’s page on October 23. Organizers can change them, so open the linked page before you go.
Boo at the Zoo’s last night is Friday, October 30, at the Louisville Zoo, 1100 Trevilian Way. Gates open at 5 p.m., timed tickets run until 8:30 p.m., the trick or treat route entrance closes at 9 p.m., and everyone must exit by 10 p.m., per the Boo at the Zoo FAQ. Tickets are $14.25 for nonmembers and $8.50 for members, free for 2 and under, and sold online in advance only. The Zoo’s event page says it is not held on Halloween night.
The Kosair Shrine Center holds a trunk or treat Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at 4120 Bardstown Road, with hamburgers, hot dogs, and chips for kids. The Kosair listing shows no price. The office is 502-585-5412.
Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom, now home of the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular, runs Friday 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 2 to 10 p.m., and Sunday, November 1, 4 to 9 p.m., its final day, at 937 Phillips Lane. The event page lists day tickets both “starting at $19.99” and “as low as $24.99,” so check at checkout. Friday and Saturday are free parking days, which saves the usual $15 a car.
The Día de Muertos street festival runs Saturday, October 31, from 2 to 11 p.m. at 445 East Market Street. The festival site calls it a “FREE street festival for the whole family,” with live music and a Catrina procession.
The Fairdale library’s Boo Bash runs Saturday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 10620 West Manslick Road, for ages 0 to 12, costumes encouraged, per the library listing. The branch is 502-375-2051.
Did we miss something?
Send JCPS Insider confirmed information about public meetings, parent forums, deadlines, school choice events, district notices, or significant School Based Decision Making Council (SBDM) activity through the contact page.
JCPS Insider is an independent parent resource and is not affiliated with Jefferson County Public Schools.