LPC votes to examine plan that would merge the Boston, New Haven schools

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021, — The Nelson County Schools’ LPC — Local Planning Committee — voted Wednesday evening to study an additional alternative to its list of possible school building changes involving the Boston and New Haven schools.

The committee voted to study merging students from both schools and transforming one school into a middle school, and the other school in an elementary school.

Currently, both schools are K-8 schools.

The committee’s motion came during the scheduled LPC meeting at the New Haven School.

A similar merger plan was discussed several years ago when Anthony Orr was superintendent. Parents from both the Boston and New Haven communities overwhelmingly opposed the idea, and it was dropped.

The committee added the option after a discussion about spending more time to consider options in addition to the four options presented by the district’s leadership. Of the four options the committee has examined so far, the two most likely options are two have been:

• to establish two large middle schools, one in eastern, the other in western Nelson County; and

• the Community Campus plan, where middle school students are divided between new middle school buildings at each of the two high schools.

Architects from Louisville-based Studio Kremer reviewed the probable cost estimates to the district for both of these options at Wednesday’s meeting.

ROLE OF CHAIR, VICE-CHAIR. The role of the chairman and vice-chairman of the Local Planning Committee — and who controls the meetings and their agendas — was discussed at length during Wednesday evening’s LPC meeting.

Chairman Eric Shelburne told the committee that from the state manual regarding LPC roles, it says that, “The chairperson and vice-chairperson are responsible for LPC meeting organization and direction.”

In an earlier email to Superintendent Wes Bradley, Shelburne said he had the authority to set agendas and meeting times. “… and based on my authority as Chairman, I am changing the agenda you prepared [for the Nov. 10 meeting] without my participation to include only the discussion of a proposed DFP (District Facilities Plan).

Shelburne said that he understood the manual to mean he and Vice-Chair Tracy Bowling had the authority to set the agenda and schedule meetings. Committee member Dustan McCoy said the manual also stated that the entire committee could be involved when it comes to scheduling meetings.

“I’m thinking that we need to have more meetings,” Shelburne told the committee. “I think Nov. 17th is way too soon to be voting on a draft DFP (District Facilities Plan) when we haven’t [examined] all the different alternatives.”

Shelburne said that so far, he had not had a chance to have any input on the committee meeting agendas. Agendas had been prepared by the district ahead of each meeting, he said.

Shelburne suggested the committee study additional options beyond the four original options presented by Superintendent Wes Bradley. There may be an option that could include ways to make better use the district’s existing buildings.

“I’m asking for extra meetings and to spend some time to develop a (District Facilities Plan) that’s not just being placed in front of us,” he said.

NOT POLITICAL. Shelburne bristled at the suggestion by a committee member that perhaps he was playing politics in his role as chairman — an assertion he quickly denied.

Shelburne, who currently represents District 5 on Nelson Fiscal Court, is widely rumored to be considering a run as a Democrat for judge executive — a suggestion he would not confirm Wednesday night.

After the meeting, he told the Gazette that in regard to politics, he was advised by his friends and associates to steer away from being involved in the committee.

Of the two leading DFP options, he said few of the people he talks to are in favor of the Community Campus plan that would move the district’s middle school students to the campuses of the two high schools.

He said his role as chairman is to make sure everyone’s concerns are addressed and differing opinions put forward.

“I think those peoples’ voices need to be heard. The bottom line for me is that these are taxpayer dollars,” he said.

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