A public hearing was held at the Christian County Board of Education Thursday evening, where community members voiced their questions and concerns over changes to the District Facility Plan.
The amended District Facility Plan was approved at the June meeting of the Christian County School Board, and it sets up the process 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 moves Indian Hills Elementary School—both staff and students—to the existing Hopkinsville Middle School facility, while the staff and students of HMS would move to the current Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary building. The students and staff of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary would be moved accordingly throughout the other seven elementary schools. The Inspire Early Learning Academy and a pre-kindergarten center would move into the Indian Hills Elementary campus.
Three people spoke against the plan, including Caleb Ballard, who questioned the legality of the hearing and asked several questions about these changes will affect the students of Christian County, cost of renovations, and more.
Also against the action was Ron Hicks, who says Indian Hills has a long-standing culture of community where it is located, and he would hate to lose that with a move to an isolated campus.
All comments, both written and verbal, were recorded—including a statement from Shannon Wood that was read aloud by Hearing Officer Jack Lackey—and will be sent to the Kentucky Department of Education for review, along with the District Facility Plan. KDE will then give the ultimate approval of the amended plan.