New Facilities Make Room for Special Programs, Growth
community high school, education, learning way elementary school, schools,
Two new schools are opening in Bedford County – a sign of both the tremendous growth in the area and the commitment of civic leaders to accommodate that growth.
Learning Way Elementary School is the first non-replacement school to be built in Shelbyville since the 1950s. It will be equipped with new technology, including wireless Internet access throughout the building, extra classrooms to accommodate future growth, and auxiliary spaces for programs such as music and special education.
Community High School, a new facility in Unionville, about 12 miles outside of Shelbyville, will be similarly equipped. Both schools are expected to open their doors for the 2009-2010 school year.
“We went from 5,000 students in the district to more than 7,000 in very short order,” says Superintendent Ed Gray. “Now we not only have the space to accommodate our students, we have room to grow.”
With the new additions, Bedford County’s public school district consists of 13 schools, a vocational annex and Bedford County Learning Academy, which houses alternative learning programs. These schools serve approximately 7,650 students and are staffed with about 950 employees, according to the Bedford County Department of Education.
The school district is expanding to meet the changing needs of the community, which has grown from a small, rural area to a more diverse region that now includes suburbanite commuters, professionals and new residents working in local business and industry.
As more young families move to the area, Gray says a top priority was the new Learning Way Elementary School.
The 80,000-square-foot school – a K-5 school – will house 500 students, and an addition could be built to bring capacity up to 750 if necessary, Gray says.
The school is being built beside the new Harris Middle School and near the newly renovated and expanded Shelbyville Central High School.
Along with the new Community High School in Unionville, the education facilities “really make an attractive addition to our community,” Gray says. “They’re both well designed, well planned, and they add to the county’s overall image.”
The schools received funding through bond initiatives. The $11.2 million elementary school and the $16 million Community High are part of a 10-year master expansion plan, which also includes $3.2 million for an elementary school addition near Bell Buckle and $21 million for renovations and additions at Central High.
Story by Anita Wadhwani
