The Local Planning Committee for the Christian County Public School System approved the amended District Facility Plan at a meeting Tuesday evening.
The amended plan makes way for changes to the school system that would start in the 2024-2025 school year, and includes putting sixth grade back into the middle schools, moving it from elementary. It would also move Indian Hills Elementary School to the existing Hopkinsville Middle School facility and HMS would move to the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary building. The staff and students of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary would be moved accordingly throughout the other seven elementary schools, with all actions pending board approval.
Superintendent Chris Bentzel says the plan maximizes the use of the existing buildings to better suit students.
The Inspire Early Learning Academy and a pre-k center would move into the Indian Hills Elementary campus, with Bentzel saying a prekindergarten and childcare facility is much needed in the community.
Indian Hills Principal Sara Johnson says anyone who walks into Indian Hills knows that they’re over-capacity, so the change to move sixth grade to the middle schools and move Indian Hills into a different building will be a beneficial one.
The Local Planning Committee passed the amended District Facility Plan unanimously, with four members not present, and Bentzel says it now heads the Christian County Board of Education for final approval. If approved by the board, there will be a public hearing planned and then the plan would head back to the Kentucky Department of Education—no changes would come into effect this school year, but would in 2024-2025.
A public forum was held before the meeting of the LPC began, but no one from the public spoke.