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Seneca High School Alumni Group Demands Voice in School's Future, Citing Lagging Student Performance
Seneca Past and Present Inc. is pressing Jefferson County Public Schools for a seat at the table, pointing to high teacher turnover, chronic absenteeism, and test scores far below peer schools as a $100 million new school is planned.
Leaders of Seneca High School's alumni association are demanding a formal role in decisions about the school's future, saying they lack confidence in current leadership amid persistently weak student performance.
Robert Holmes III, president of Seneca Past and Present Inc., said the group has reviewed school data and concluded that administrators are not doing enough to reverse years of decline.
"We just don't feel confident as of today that the current leadership has the ability to turn things around," Holmes said.
Holmes cited several indicators: teacher turnover at Seneca exceeds the Jefferson County Public Schools district average, 56% of students are truant, and the school ranks 1,082 out of roughly 1,200 Kentucky schools.
Figures posted on the school's website show that 21% of Seneca students scored proficient and 4% scored distinguished in reading. In math, 16% scored proficient and 2% scored distinguished. By comparison, duPont Manual High School reports 55% of students scoring distinguished in reading and 53% distinguished in math.
Holmes said the school's performance measures have slid over the past six years. He noted that the alumni association has raised well over $1 million for programs not covered by the school budget and wants to see a better return for students.
The school's principal referred questions to the JCPS communications office. The district said Seneca Past and Present operates under its own leadership and is board approved.
"We are always open to constructive engagement with alumni and community members who share our goal of advancing student success," JCPS said in a statement.
The dispute comes as JCPS is building a new high school, a $100 million investment. Holmes said the association wants to be part of conversations about Seneca's future.
He also praised the people working at the school.
"There are fantastic teachers and parents and building staff at Seneca currently that work hard every day," Holmes said. "Despite these conditions, they work hard every day trying to make a difference."
The alumni group's push raises broader questions about how the district engages community stakeholders as it spends heavily on new facilities while struggling schools post some of the lowest proficiency rates in the state. For families in Seneca's attendance area, the debate is about more than buildings: it is about whether the school can deliver on its promise to students.