Grayson County receives $10 million from state to fund technical education program

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A program giving first-hand workforce training to high school students gets a major financial boost.

Grayson County was awarded $10.4 million to support its public education programming, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Monday.

Beshear presented the funding that will support career and technical education, tourism and 11 local nonprofits.

"My administration will always put education first, and that includes helping our students discover technical fields where they can get hands-on experience, serve others and find great jobs that can support a family," Beshear said.

In Grayson County, I awarded $10.4 million to support students, nonprofits and tourism marketing to help this community continue to thrive for generations. Awards like these show what's possible when we work together to make a difference for our Kentucky families. pic.twitter.com/OCkgThRVDN
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) February 20, 2023

Grayson County Public Schools received $10 million for its career and technical education at Grayson County Technology Center. According to a news release, the funding will support a renovation to its entire existing facility, including interior renovations, reconfiguration of program spaces, accessibility upgrades, new equipment and more. There will also be a new administration office.

Right now, in one space at one time in the facility, there may be classroom learning, 3D printers going off, and the shop running. But the renovation project will put all of those things in separate places, providing more space to a facility that is crowded and outdated.

"What's great about what happens in the Technology Center is it's dynamic learning," said director Matt Hayes. "We have renovated and modified and moved electricity, and then re-moved."

Hayes said hundreds of students are learning everything from welding, construction technology and computer science.

"Right now, I'm taking classes like medical terminology and medical math, which is dosage calculations and terms that we would use in the health field," Amelia Hayes, a sophomore, said.

With this funding, Hayes already envisioning bigger rooms, workshops, more labs and machines buzzing during the day.

"Not only will it give us space, but it will also give us an opportunity to update our programs. It'll give us more opportunities in engineering, opportunities in industrial maintenance," he said. "It just comes down to opportunities. And so the opportunity and the exposure that they're going to have is gonna be tremendous."

They are opportunities that come both inside and outside the classroom. Joel Bernard runs Mid-Park, a metal manufacturer in Leitchfield, that works closely with some students in the program. He said he sees the $10 million in funding as an opportunity for growth across the community.

"It is a huge, huge deal," Bernard said. "Both to existing industry, to any industry that may be looking to come here."

It also allows for the expansion of an educated workforce, Bernard said.

"It's not just your basic math, reading, science, social studies," said Amelia Hayes. "It's real-world, applicable skills that you're learning over here."

Along with the educational funding, Grayson County Tourism Commission was awarded $75,580. The City of Leitchfield Tourism and Convention Commission received $25,193 for travel marketing and promotion.

"Leitchfield Tourism can utilize this funding to participate in advertising campaigns that we would not normally be able to and reach markets that we have been unable to reach in the past," said Ilsa Johnson, executive director of the Leitchfield Tourism and Convention Commission. "The decline brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic left most of us in the industry feeling unsure of the future."

The funding was part of the $75 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), according to a news release.

Beshear also presented $392,992 from the Nonprofit Assistance Fund to 11 local nonprofits, including: