The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence has announced that Warren County will join its Kentucky Community Schools Initiative.
The goal is to boost student outcomes, increase college enrollments, and improve the overall well-being of kids in high-poverty schools.
Superintendent Rob Clayton says Warren County Public Schools will receive $1.5 million over the next five years.
“The Community Schools grant will be primarily for our current Family Resource Youth Service Center coordinators and their programming," Clayton told WKU Public Radio. "The big part is how can we level the playing field for some of our most disadvantaged students.”
The Prichard Committee received a $47 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education last year and is channeling most if it into the Kentucky Community School Initiative.
Warren County was one of 20 districts across the state selected through a competitive grant process. The Owensboro and Daviess County school systems were program pilots. Other recipients include school systems in Rockcastle, Hopkins, and Christian counties.
Meanwhile, WCPS broken ground on Monday on a new facility that will cultivate the next generation of innovators and leaders.
The Impact Center will offer non-traditional educational experiences through classes and community mentors from local businesses and industries.
High school, and potentially some middle school students, will be able to take courses in advanced technology, healthcare, engineering, and other high-need fields.
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman was on hand for the announcement and said the facility would help improve Kentucky ’s economy by preparing leaders in the jobs of the future.
“There’s more than one way to be successful now, whether that’s going straight into a career, an apprenticeship, a two-year degree or four-year degree," said Coleman. "Places like this are really opening avenues for students and removing those barriers that previously existed.”
The Impact Center for Leadership and Innovation will open in the fall of 2026 where the former Cumberland Trace Elementary School was located.
