Paducah City Schools could receive $9.8 million to go towards a new technology center. The school system is among finalists requesting the funds from the Kentucky Work Ready Skills Initiative, a $100 million dollar statewide effort to encourage communities to build a highly-trained workforce.
Paducah City Schools Superintendent Donald Shively said the money will go towards a new $16 million building to replace their current Technology Center.
“Well the vision that we have is building an innovation hub where we center our area technology center pathways and additional paducah tilghman high school pathways, aligned directly to workforce needs in Paducah.”
Shively said they will pair the programs with their postsecondary partners, being: Paducah School of Art and Design, U.K. Engineering, Murray State University and West Kentucky Community and Technical College. So it will blur the lines between high school and postsecondary opportunities for students. Shively also said they will bring students in from the elementary and middle schools to participate in the programs. The Kentucky Education, Workforce, and Development Cabinet says they will start conducting interviews and on-site visits for the grants by the December 15th. They will be giving $65 million to some Kentucky schools by the end of the year.WKCTC, Caldwell and Webster County schools are also finalists in far western Kentucky.
