Henderson County (Ky.) district plans replacement elementary school

The Henderson County (Ky.) School District is gearing up to replace Jefferson Elementary School by constructing a new campus at a different location.

The Gleaner reports that the project, which is expected to cost between $13 million and $15 million, is in the very early planning stages. Still to be decided are a specific site, the building's design and more.

"We're looking at a couple of different sites to try and make a determination where the new building will be built," Superintendent Marganna Stanley says.

The new school will have geothermal heating and cooling, and LED lighting.

“Aging school buildings can create challenges for 21st-century instruction, curriculum, and student learning," Stanley says in a news release. "We are looking forward to a modern and progressive design for Jefferson Elementary School, which will include learning labs, spaces for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) education, an energy-efficient design, and a safe learning environment for our students."

The existing Jefferson in Henderson is on a four-acre block with a large area dedicated to drainage, so it doesn't fit state education department standards for a new school.

"Kentucky regulations say that when you build a new school, you have to have five acres plus one acre for every 100 students," Stanley says. "We will build Jefferson to a capacity of 400, so that would require us to have nine acres."

Jefferson was built in 1964 and has a student population of around 340. The building was renovated in 1994, but now has a host of problems and has consistently been ranked "in poor condition" in state building surveys.

Stanley says she hopes that once the district has a design in place, the building would be completed in 18 to 24 months.`