The Christian County School Board heard an update on what CCPS is doing to prepare for the implementation of House Bill 563, or the ‘school choice’ bill, at Thursday’s meeting, and approved a change to the District Facility Plan.
Director of Pupil Personnel Melanie Barrett explained what exactly the bill means for the district, saying that families will have the choice of sending their child to schools outside of the district or send their children to Christian County from outside of county. CCPS hasn’t had out of county contracts for many years now, but Barrett says she is confident that the district won’t have a big impact in student enrollment.
As for the SEEK money and other funding that a district receives, that funding will follow the student to whatever district they choose to attend.
The board approved an amendment to the current District Facility Plan, which still needs approval from the Kentucky Board of Education and is a process that happens every four-years, making Christian County High School, Hopkinsville High School and Gateway Academy campuses ‘transitional’, which could pave the way for consolidation of those entities into one campus. Assistant Principal Josh Hunt says this doesn’t make anything set in stone, it’s just part of the process that could keep things from being hindered in the future, should the board choose to act on it.
Superintendent Bentzel says they will be hosting public forums to get the community’s input before making any recommendation, and whatever should come to pass will be totally district funded with no tax increases.
A steering committee comprised of community members, educators and administrators recently voted, with the majority in favor, of consolidating those entities.