At the beginning of this school year, Jefferson County Public Schools made headlines because of its bussing crisis, or some kids were still on a school bus late into the evening.

Transportation, student discipline and truancy issues continue to plague the district, and some lawmakers think it's time to take a closer look at the problems facing CPS.

Our Clayton Dalton has the story.

And this is not a repeat.

This is not a knee jerk reaction.

The Jefferson County Public School District is the largest school system in the state of Kentucky, serving over 95,000 students.

One Republican lawmaker wants to investigate the district.

He says to highlight the good and the bad.

This is a cooperative, collaborative approach to look at a school district, to help them out, to lift them up, to give them the opportunity to not only to showcase what they're doing, what they're doing right, but also try to find the opportunities where we can help them out and get them in a better position.

The resolution sets up a task force to review school districts with an enrollment of at least 75,000 students.

Currently, only JCPenney meets that threshold.

The sponsor says this isn't targeted at JCPenney, but some lawmakers pushed back.

Despite what's what's been in the public is not an attack on a school district.

It is not designed with an embedded, predetermined conclusion.

Despite what people say.

You said, there's no preconceived notions about what this task force would find.

However, this resolution says it will review how other states have implemented the creation of new school districts.

It says the need for alternative governance structures and it will explore options for the restructuring or reorganizing of school districts.

It doesn't say anything about shrinking class sizes, making more schools K through 12, implementing a longer school day.

So what gave you the idea that size is the single thing that we should be looking at and segmenting?

The district might be the right idea.

Those are your words in terms of of trying to put words in my mouth and I'm quoting three.

Lines from the resolution.

Let me let me let me finish, Representative.

Well, don't you think that's part of the process you go through to uncover that information through this task force to do that?

You could have a resolution proposing a town that does not say the vehicles fracturing or reorganize math.

And it's not less you're look, you're picking out you're picking apart one particular component of this.

You look at your OC three, you pick up five business, the process you go through to to expose as much information as possible to figure out where we need to go, to help to help out the school system.

MARTY Polio, the superintendent of JCPenney, says the state legislature is focusing on the wrong things.

95% of your energy and efforts should be spent on mitigating the top three issues in education in the Commonwealth.

And this is ask any of your superintendents, number one teacher vacancies.

Number two, bus driver vacancies.

Number three, student attendance.

Those are crises in every district in the Commonwealth or 90% of them.

And we spend so much of our time talking about other things.

I'll give an example.

Last year we spent a great amount of time talking about parents rights to challenge books in our libraries.

We then developed policy that these challenges could go to our Board of Education.

It is now the first week in March, 75% of the way through the year.

And I will tell you how many books have been challenged in front of our Board of Education.

Zero.

None.

Lawmakers approved the task force, although the measure did meet bipartisan opposition.

Three Republican lawmakers also registered past votes.

House Concurrent Resolution 81 now heads to the House floor for consideration.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Clayton Dalton.

The House Education Committee also advanced bills that bolster civics education in schools and direct a special audit of the Kentucky Department of Education.