Beshear formally presents $9,280,350 to LCHS
Students held an oversized check during Gov. Andy Beshear’s visit to Lawrence County High School Friday afternoon. BSN photo/Brenda Hardwick
By TONY FYFFE
BSN Editor
LOUISA — Gov. Andy Beshear visited Lawrence County Friday to formally present funds to renovate and expand Lawrence County High School’s career and technical education programs.
The $9,280,350 was awarded in September by the Kentucky School Facilities Construction Commission to construct a new greenhouse, a new building for JROTC and carpentry classrooms and lab spaces, restrooms for outside access and renovations at LCHS for career and technical facilities only.
Beshear, who visited Johnson County a week earlier to present similar funds to Johnson Central High School, said the state’s “economy is on fire.”
“Manufacturing and technology are moving the commonwealth forward,” he said. “So now more than ever, Kentucky needs a multifaceted and skilled workforce to support this development. Career and technical education is an essential part of building that workforce and giving each of our students a strong foundation.”
In the project funding application, school officials say the current Career and Technical Education program is held within a few classrooms in the current county high school. Because of limited space, the course offerings and student enrollment are also limited. The renovation and building expansion will change that. When finished, there will be new and improved spaces for agricultural education, computer science, coal technology, construction and carpentry, along with a greenhouse and distance-learning lab.
Lawrence County School Superintendent Dr. Robbie Fletcher said the grant will “give us the opportunity to enhance the career and technical programs that we currently offer at Lawrence County High School while adding a computer science pathway and a distance learning lab.”
“We are thankful for these funds that will help us in accomplishing our mission to personalize learning that inspires students to dream, challenges students to persist and equips students to succeed,” Fletcher said.
State Sen. Phillip Wheeler, D-Pikeville, whose district includes Lawrence County, said it was a “great day” for the county and its students.
“Vocational education can provide for quick entry into good-paying jobs and provide a solid basis for further economic development. I am proud of work done by General Assembly and Gov. Beshear to make this important project happen for Lawrence County.”
Rep. Patrick Flannery, who represents Lawrence and Carter counties in the state House, said the money is a “huge win.”
“The educational opportunities will change lives and improve our economy and workforce,” the Grayson Republican
On Sept. 1, as part of his Better Kentucky Plan, Gov. Beshear awarded Kentucky school districts $75 million to upgrade Local Area Vocational Education Centers. The grants were approved by the Kentucky School Facilities Construction Commission.
Through a bipartisan agreement with legislators, the governor’s Better Kentucky Plan aims to create 14,500 jobs and will help Kentucky lead into the future. The plan allocates more than $750 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to build schools, expand access to broadband and deliver clean drinking water and quality sewer systems across the commonwealth.