LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Payroll records obtained by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting contradict a Jefferson County Public Schools statement that former Academy @ Shawnee Executive Principal Hollie Smith was on vacation the day a journalist inquired about her abrupt departure from the school.

According to KyCIR's investigation, JCPS spokesperson Carolyn Callahan told the outlet on March 31, 2026 that Smith was out on a "prescheduled vacation." However, payroll records show Smith had already been reassigned to another position 11 days earlier, on March 20, and was initially marked present in her new assignment on March 31.

The discrepancy emerged from a larger pattern of records withholding by JCPS. KyCIR submitted open records requests on March 25 and March 31 seeking Smith's reassignment letter but did not receive it for months, until a Courier Journal article broke the story on June 9.

The records also reveal that JCPS generated a "Payroll Correction Memo" on June 12—two days after KyCIR asked for Smith's vacation records—retroactively changing her status from "present" to "vacation" on March 31. The memo was signed by JCPS Chief of Schools Robert Moore.

Callahan told KyCIR that Nate Meyer, assistant superintendent of the Enhanced Support Zone and Smith's supervisor, informed her about the vacation. Meyer responded to KyCIR that Smith had notified him she would be out, "but it was not reflected in the system."

Smith was reassigned to a position at the Van Hoose Center as part of a months-long internal investigation into her conduct. Current and former Shawnee employees told KyCIR that Smith was being investigated for misconduct, creating a hostile work environment, and engaging in questionable financial practices. A separate investigation also involves former Shawnee High School Principal Joni Britt, who resigned in May.

JCPS attorney Amanda Herzog previously told KyCIR that the reassignment letter was not in Smith's personnel file when the initial records request was made. "Our Open Records staff did not realize the oversight," Herzog wrote.

The discrepancies underscore ongoing concerns about JCPS' compliance with Kentucky's open records law. Last year, the district wrongfully withheld a contract for a billboard supporting departing Superintendent Marty Pollio, and LPM is currently suing JCPS over the district's refusal to release text messages from top officials during the 2023-2024 school year transportation crisis.