The Kentucky General Assembly appropriated $90 million to construct a new K-12 Model Lab School in Richmond. Members of the Eastern Kentucky University Board of Regents got an update during their quarterly meeting this week. John Williamson is the superintendent of Model. He said the new school will be the site where people can come from all over the country to observe a safe school design.
“We’re going to be using state-of-the-art techniques. We’re looking at consultants who have worked in design and development in some of these places where they have been tragedies and to remediate these deficiencies that have been in buildings.”
Board Member Laura Babbage said the design plan reinforces the designation as a model lab school. She expressed appreciation, particularly as it relates to safety of school children.
Outgoing Board Chair Lewis Diaz asked about eventually establishing Model-like programs in Louisville and Northern Kentucky. Williamson said that’s the hope.
“That has been the vision all along, right, to spawn lots of little Model schools throughout the Commonwealth and replicate those good practices. So, fingers crossed that that can happen not only from a physical plant but also in terms of the pedagogies and practices that we do.”
Williamson said the design work should start in earnest this fall.
