News Headlines
Source: KSBA eNews Servcie, Frankfort, March 10, 2010
Differences found between House budget critical needs schools and KDE Category 4-5 schools’ list
Bill also sets specific rules for Clark County, Graves County projects
By Brad Hughes
When the committee substitute for House Bill 290 – the proposed 2010-2012 state budget bill – was posted online Tuesday morning, there’s little doubt that some gasps were heard in school system central offices around Kentucky.
That’s because of the differences between schools proposed for major renovation or complete replacement in the legislation and those schools previously designated by the Kentucky Department of Education as most in need of state assistance for construction work. Although the majority of the schools in the budget bill’s critical needs list are desginated as Category 4 and 5 buildings by KDE, many other schools that also meet the Category 4 and 5 ratings are not included in the legislation.
Additionally, language in the bill specifically mandates certain construction projects in the Clark County and Graves County school systems.
For example, the bill requires that the Lowes Elementary School in Graves County must be replaced with a new school, not to exceed $8.8 million. Previously, a controversy raged for more than a year between the KDE, the Graves Co. school board and community members over whether to close or replace the old Fancy Farm elementary.
In Clark County, the budget bill lists nine schools, including the replacement of George Rogers Clark High School, and permits the district to redistribute the $55.7 million in funding in a revised facilities plan among those projects, whether or not the Department of Education and state Board of Education approve. Furthermore, the bill includes language that authorizes “construction projects may be executed for schools with a projected enrollment of less than 300 students without the district losing eligibility for full participation in offers of assistance from the School Facilities Construction Commission.” The closing of several elementary schools and construction of a new high school also has been a point of dispute in that district.
Below are the separate lists of school construction projects in the budget bill and on the KDE list:
Critical Needs schools in House Bill 290
Here is the list of 64 schools designated by the House Appropriates and Revenue Committee as meeting its criteria as “critical needs” schools and permitted maximum construction costs:
Bell County Schools – Bell County Schools 500,000
Boyd County Public Schools – Boyd County High 4,749,380
Bullitt County Public Schools – Maryville Elementary 5,014,000
Casey County Schools – Liberty Elementary 11,088,000
Caverna Independent Schools – Caverna School 1,000,000
Christian County Public Schools – Indian Hills Elementary 5,993,000
Christian County Public Schools – Lacy Elementary 3,200,000
Clark County Public Schools – Clark County Schools 19,486,044
Covington Independent Public Schools – Holmes Senior High 13,000,000
Covington Independent Public Schools – Ninth District Elementary 14,600,000
Crittenden County Schools – Crittenden County Middle 6,445,000
Elliott County Schools – Elliott County High/Lakeside 12,144,000
Fairview Independent School District – Fairview High 11,081,000
Fleming County Schools – Ewing Consol Elementary 8,428,011
Fleming County Schools – Hillsboro Elementary 2,321,595
Fleming County Schools – Fleming County High 8,783,000
Fleming County Schools – E.P. Ward Elementary 2,114,000
Floyd County Schools – New Vocational Education Building 4,000,000
Floyd County Schools – Wheelwright Gym 1,250,000
Floyd County Schools – Elementary Reorganization 14,000,000
Frankfort Independent Schools – Frankfort High 5,462,000
Glasgow Independent Schools – Glasgow High 5,791,000
Graves County Schools – Lowes Elementary 8,882,523
Harlan County Public Schools – Wallins Elementary 11,401,000
Harlan Independent Schools – Harlan Independent Schools 500,000
Hart County Schools – Hart County High 23,101,969
Henry County Public Schools – Campbellsburg Elementary 7,187,000
Henry County Public Schools – Eastern Elementary 6,577,000
Jefferson County Public Schools – Valley High School 26,281,800
Knox County Public Schools – Dewitt Elementary 11,401,000
Lawrence County Schools – Louisa West Elementary PS-1 4,003,000
Letcher County Public Schools – Vocational School #1 2,000,000
Letcher County Public Schools – Health, Education and Wellness Center 7,500,000
Livingston County Schools – Livingston County Middle 3,114,000
Madison County Schools – Model Laboratory School 30,000,000
Marion County Public Schools – Marion County High 5,006,000
Martin County Schools – Sheldon Clark High 7,153,000
Menifee County Schools – Menifee County Elementary 15,000,000
Mercer County Schools – Old Harlow Elementary 1,875,000
Middlesboro Independent Schools – Middlesboro Independent Schools 500,000
Montgomery County Schools – Vocational School 8,816,000
Morgan County Schools – Morgan County High 3,642,000
Morgan County Schools – West Liberty Elementary 9,291,000
Muhlenberg County Schools – Bremen Elementary 10,000,000
Murray Independent School District – Murray High 2,317,000
Newport Independent Schools – A.D. Owens Elementary 4,084,000
Newport Independent Schools – Fourth Street Elementary 11,401,000
Paintsville Independent Schools – Paintsville Elementary 4,275,000
Paris Independent Schools – Paris High 8,125,000
Paris Independent Schools – Paris Middle 5,403,000
Paris Independent Schools – Paris Elementary 6,456,000
Perry County Schools – D.C. Wooten 1,069,000
Perry County Schools – A.B. Combs Elementary 7,064,000
Pike County Schools – Virgie Middle 13,246,000
Pike County Schools – Phelps Elementary 4,837,133
Pike County Schools – Millard Middle 22,165,000
Pineville Independent Schools – Pineville Independent Schools 500,000
Powell County Schools – Powell County High 4,789,000
Raceland Worthington Independent Schools – Worthington Elementary 2,300,000
Robertson County – Deming Elementary/High 11,548,500
Russell Independent School District – Russell High 8,447,000
Russell Independent School District – Russell Middle 8,354,000
Southgate Independent School District – Southgate Elementary 6,158,000
Union County Public Schools – Uniontown Elementary 358,000
Webster County Schools – Webster County Schools 990,000
Category 4 and 5 schools as designated by KDE (from KDE Web site)
Category 5 schools
*denotes transitional center **denotes included in HB 290
Anderson County Early Childhood Center
Beechwood Ind. Beechwood Elementary
Carter County Carter Elementary *
Clark County Central Elementary** Fannie Bush Elementary ** Pilot View Elementary
Fleming County Ewing Elementary ** Hillsboro Elementary **
Jackson County Jackson Co. High School
Johnson County Meade Memorial Elementary *
Leslie County W.B. Muncy Elementary
Letcher County Beckham Bates Elementary *
Metcalfe County North Metcalfe Elementary * Summer Shade Elementary (KDE designated for consolidation)
Paducah Ind. Paducah Middle School
Perry County D.C. Wooten Elementary *, **
Pike County Phelps Elementary **
Robertson County Deming Elementary/High School **
Category 4 schools
*denotes transitional center **denotes included in HB 290
Allen County Allen County High School
Adair County Casey Elementary John Adair Elementary
Augusta Ind. Augusta School
Bourbon County North Midtown Elementary
Boyd County Boyd County High School**
Bullitt County Bullitt Lick Middle School Lebanon Junction Elementary Maryville Elementary** Nichols Elementary
Campbell County Grants Lick Elementary
Carlisle County Carlisle County Elementary
Carroll County Carroll County High School
Carter County Star Elementary
Casey County Liberty Elementary**
Caverna Ind. Caverna Elementary**
Christian County Hopkinsville High School Indian Hills Elementary** Lacy Elementary**
Clark County G.R. Clark High School** Conkwright Middle School** Hanna McClure Elementary
Clay County Big Creek Elementary Manchester Elementary Oneida Elementary
Clinton County Clinton County High School
Corbin Ind. Corbin Middle School
Covington Ind. Holmes Junior High School Holmes Senior High School** Latonia Elementary Ninth District Elementary**
Crittenden County Crittenden County Middle School**
Cumberland County Cumberland County Elementary
Daviess County Masonville Alternative School
Elliott County Lakeside Elementary**
Erlanger-Elsmere Ind. Lloyd High School
Estill County South Irvine Elementary West Irvine Elementary
Fayette County Clays Mill Elementary Mary Todd Elementary
Fleming County Fleming County High School** E.P. Ward Elementary**
Floyd County McDowell Elementary* Osborne Elementary *
Fort Thomas Ind. Johnson Elementary Moyer Elementary
Frankfort Ind. Frankfort High School**
Glasgow Ind. Glasgow High School**
Graves County Lowes Elementary**
Hancock County Hancock County High School Hancock County Middle School
Hardin County Brown St. Alternative High School * Howevalley Elementary* Parkway Elementary
Harlan County Wallins Elementary**
Harrison County Eastside Elementary Westside Elementary Northside Elementary
Hart County Hart County High School**
Hazard Ind. Hazard High School Walkertown Elementary
Henderson County Central Alternative School (not on needs)
Henry County Eastern Elementary** New Castle Elementary Campbellsburg Elementary**
Jefferson County Fern Creek High School Western High School Carrithers Middle School Jefferson County Traditional Middle School Southern Middle School Thomas Jefferson Middle School Hawthorne Elementary Hazelwood Elementary Stonestreet Elementary
Kenton County Scott High School
Knott County Cordia High School (leased)
Knox County Knox County Middle School Dewitt Elementary*, ** G.R. Hampton Elementary
Leslie County Hayes Lewis Elementary
Letcher County Arlie Boggs Elementary Fleming Neon Elementary Letcher Elementary
Lewis County Lewis County High School Garrison Elementary
Lincoln County Crab Orchard Elementary Highland Elementary Hustonville Elementary Waynesburg Elementary McKinney Elementary
Livingston County Livingston County Middle School**
Madison County Bellevue Alt. and Day Treatment Center
Marion County Marion County High School**
Marshall County Benton Middle School South Marshall Middle School Calvert City Elementary Jonathon Elementary (not on needs)
Martin County Shelton Clark High School**
Mayfield Ind. Mayfield Middle School
Menifee County Menifee County Elementary**
Mercer County Old Harlow Elementary**
Metcalfe County Metcalfe County Middle School* Edmonton Elementary*
Morgan County Morgan County High School** West Liberty Elementary**
Muhlenberg County Bremen Elementary**
Murray Ind. Murray High School (not on needs)**
McCracken County Reidland High School Heath Middle School Lone Oak Middle School Reidland Middle School
Newport Ind. A.D. Owens Elementary** Fourth Street Elementary**
Owsley County Owsley County High School
Paducah Ind. McNabb Elementary
Paintsville Paintsville Elementary**
Paris Ind. Paris High School** Paris Middle School** Paris Elementary**
Perry County A.B. Combs Elementary** Chavies Elementary Big Creek Elementary* Willard Elementary
Pike County Millard Middle School** Virgie Middle School** Bevins Elementary Blackberry Elementary* G.F. Johnson Elementary Kimper Elementary* Majestic-Knox Elementary Millard Elementary Robinson Creek Elementary Runyan Elementary
Powell County Powell County High School**
Pulaski County Memorial Elementary School Central Alternative School
Raceland-Worthington Ind. Worthington Elementary**
Russell Ind. Russell High School** Russell Middle School**
Silver Grove Ind. Silver Grove Elementary and High School
Southgate Ind. Southgate Elementary**
Trimble County Trimble County High School
Union County Uniontown Elementary**
Wayne County Turner Intermediate* Walker Elementary
If adopted by the full House of Representatives, the budget bill – and the list of schools proposed for state construction funding – must be agreed to by the state Senate. Otherwise, a joint House-Senate conference committee will be appointed to seek a compromise, a regular occurrence in the development of a state budget. The General Assembly has until March 30 to reach concurrence on any piece of legislation, including the budget bill, under the current calendar for the 2010 session.