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New Elementary School to Open in 2009
bedford county, education, shebyville,
Learning Way Elementary School, slated to open in 2009, is the first non-replacement school to be built in Bedford County since the 1950s.
The $11 million school is part of the county’s 10-year master plan, and it’s coming just in the nick of time.
“Over the past eight years, we’ve grown by 250 students a year,” says Superintendent Ed Gray. “It doesn’t seem like a tremendous amount, but 250 students a year for a small rural system means we’ll have to build schools.”
The 80,000-square-foot facility – a K-5 school – will fit 500 students, and an addition could be added 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.
Learning Way Elementary will be equipped with new technology, including wireless Internet access throughout the building, Gray says. It will be home to about 35 teachers and include all classrooms and auxiliary spaces for programs such as music and special education.
A new high school in Unionville, about 12 miles outside of Shelbyville, is also in the works and is expected to open in 2009.
Story by Rebecca Denton
