The state spending plan includes funding for Local Area Vocational Education Centers (LAVEC) revitalization and renovation projects that did not receive funding from the grant program last year. Among the funded projects is Simpson County Schools, which will receive $6,662,700 for the LAVEC facility.
“Over time we have seen increased demand for trade labor and a decrease demand for trade education,” Representative Sarge Pollock. “Vocational education centers are at the forefront of addressing this issue. I’m excited to see where the legislature’s investment takes Taylor County and the communities surrounding us.”
Pollock also credited the legislature for swiftly appropriating funds to aid the school district, noting vocational schools across the state play a major role in ensuring all Kentuckians have accessibility to fair and equal employment opportunities.
Most programs are either connected to or housed in area high schools or need repairs and renovations to be a safe and accessible environment. The School Facilities Construction Commission—an independent agency created to provide an equitable distribution of state funding for the construction and technology needs of Kentucky’s 171 school districts—allocates the funds.
In addition to funding for LAVECs and other school construction projects included in the budget, the House Majority Caucus continues its commitment to educating the next generation of Kentuckians with record-high investments in per-pupil funding and workforce education and training programs.
The measure, HB 1, is the result of countless hours of deliberations and months of stakeholder input and contains provisions from both the House and Senate versions of the spending plan. Visit the Legislative Research Commission website for more information.