LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — The announcement Monday night that a new vocational-technical school will be built on 17 acres off East Fourth Street is the most significant development for the county in many years.

The importance of the new school cannot be overstated. It will solve many problems and open the door to many opportunities. High school students with no plans to go to college will get training that will prepare them to enter the workforce. Local employers will have access to a larger pool of skilled workers.

The vo-tec school fills a major need and is long overdue. It was the top priority of the Vision 2020 Report for London and Laurel County released last fall.

Congratulations to the board of education for committing the resources to build the $13 million facility. It’s a big priority to scratch off the list.

“I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about a new vocational school, except to say what took so long,” said Bud Stuber, who served on the Vision 2020 committee and later championed the project when he became school board chairman.

School officials have recognized the need for years and worked on it behind the scenes but other projects, including the new elementary school at Wyan-Pine Grove and upgrades to the two high schools, took precedence. Finally, the vo-tec school moved to the top of the list, spurred by Vision 2020.

“All the public support and comments enabled us and encouraged us to move forward with it,” Stuber said. “All the board members got behind it and they told me to go look for property.”

Hard data shows clearly the need for greater workforce preparation for high school students in Laurel County. Currently, only about 40 percent of our high students attend college, and a substantial number of those drop out after the first year.

Vo-tec training should be helping the other 60 percent prepare to enter the workforce by teaching them skills and work ethic that will make them valuable to employers. But the current system is falling woefully short.

Over the years, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, which took over most vo-tec training in the state, has emphasized training more for adults and non-traditional students than high schoolers.

Years ago, about 150 or so Laurel County high school students would receive training in essential work skills at the vo-tec school “on the hill.”

But since the inception of the KCTCS, that number has dropped to about 60 per year. That is letting way too many students drop through the cracks and do without training that could change their lives.

The new vo-tec school will have room for 300-350 students. Since it’s being run by the local school system, the curriculum will be tailored to fit the needs of the employers in the area. It will be nice to have an ample supply of plumbers, carpenters and other skilled laborers in the area again.

Because so many students can be shifted to the vo-tec school, overcrowding at North and South Laurel high schools will be eased, and possibly forestall the need for a third school in the near future.

Despite its price tag, the vo-tec school will pay for itself over the long term by reducing the number of high school dropouts. It’s a win-win situation all around.

The school board should also be congratulated for undertaking this project basically on its own. Pulaski County converted an old grocery store into a vo-tec center for that county a few years ago, with the help of some $8 million in state funds secured by legislators representing that county.

Laurel County has no such funds forthcoming, but it’s not the first time, and won’t be the last time, that we’ve had to do major projects on our own. We don’t get a lot of help from Frankfort.

The school board members, with the leadership of finance director Jim Kennedy, have done a tremendous job keeping the school system in great financial shape while undertaking major renovation and construction projects.

The new vo-tec school is a major milestone which signifies a brighter future for our children and our community.



wsawyers@sentinel-echo.com