FRANKFORT, Ky. — A $75 million has been approved to go to Kentucky school districts to fund renovation projects at Local Area Vocational Education Centers (LAVEC).
The Kentucky School Facilities Construction Commission Board approved the grant funding Wednesday.
“Our vocational programs are essential – providing education for our students, opportunities for our workers, and a skilled workforce for our businesses to move our communities forward and continue our economic momentum,” said Gov. Beshear. “This funding will ensure that Kentucky workers have access to state-of-the-art vocational facilities to learn the skills and trades they need to compete in our workforce.”
The construction commission board voted to offer grants to nine school districts that operate LAVEC programs. Funding can be used to cover the cost of renovations, which include updating, expanding, repairing, replacing, or rebuilding a structure.
The following school districts have been approved for LAVEC grants by the commission. The districts will allocate funds to the projects for which they applied.
- Magoffin County – $4,369,318
- Christian County – $10,000,000
- Bardstown Independent – $10,000,000
- Johnson County – $10,000,000
- Lawrence County – $9,280,350
- Fayette County – $10,000,000
- Knox County – $10,000,000
- Trigg County – $10,000,000
- Ballard County – $68,896
Most LAVEC programs are connected to — or housed in — area high schools. The school districts chosen for funding were among nearly three dozen qualified applicants. Applications were evaluated by the commission based upon the age of the current vocational education facility, financial need, county unemployment rate, and LAVEC enrollment.
School districts submitted 32 applications with $229 million in requested financial assistance for their vocational centers, exceeding the $75 million in funding available through this program. The Governor will be reviewing qualifying projects for potential inclusion in his upcoming recommended budget he will submit in January.
Through a bipartisan agreement with legislators, the Governor’s Better Kentucky Plan aims to create 14,500 jobs and will help Kentucky lead in the coming post-COVID economy. 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.
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