By Chris Taylor
Paducah, KY – State funding for the construction of a new Paducah Middle School looks unlikely. Replacing the 85-year-old school is one of a dozen proposals on the Kentucky Department of Education's urgent needs list. Senator Bob Leeper tells the Paducah Sun, funding those projects is "way down on the priority list." The General Assembly begins its 2010 session today, where its top priority will be to confront an estimated one-a-half billion dollar shortfall over the next two years. If the money is not allocated, the Paducah School System will consider a $5 million renovation project. The special funding decision will not affect construction of the new consolidated McCracken County High School or the planned renovation at Paducah Tilghman High School.