The Local Planning Committee met Thursday evening, where they heard from the public and voted to send the amended draft District Facility Plan to the Kentucky Department of Education for review.
The proposal presented to the committee by Superintendent Chris Bentzel includes the plan to convert Martin Luther King Elementary School into a middle school, move students from Indian Hills Elementary to the current Hopkinsville Middle School building and then move the new Inspire Early Learning Academy from MLK to Indian Hills for the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. It would also move sixth grade back into the middle schools and Bentzel says the Indian Hills campus would also act as a pre-kindergarten facility.
Bentzel informed the committee, which is made of 20 members reflecting teachers, CCPS administration and parents, that he knows there is a lack of trust in the community for the school board and CCPS, but that’s why they’re having public forums and communication. He explained his vision and says he continues to commit to not raising taxes to fund any of the proposed changes in the district.
Coordinator Kevin Crider says four of the current elementary schools are over-capacity with sixth graders in those schools, so moving the sixth grade back to the middle schools would help with that.
As for consolidating the high schools before a new facility is constructed, such as putting a freshman academy at Hopkinsville High School and having 10th through 12th grades in Christian County High School and Gateway Academy, Bentzel says that will be a board decision. The high schools are already labelled as ‘transitional’ in the facility plan, so that does not require amendment by the LPC.
There was a recess where a public forum was held and Bill Canty says he’s confused about how the school system can afford not just building a consolidated high school, but all the renovations that would result from the approved plan.
Shannon Wood says too much is still up in the air concerning the consolidated high school to be considering making additional changes to the district as a whole.
After reconvening, the LPC ultimately voted to send the draft of the facility plan to the Department of Education for review, with only one no vote.
Now, the facility plan heads to the Kentucky Board of Education for review, where officials there will be able to make comments and recommendations on the plan before it comes back for further discussion and votes by the LPC.