Hardin County Schools prepares for impending growth brought by BlueOval SK

GLENDALE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two more battery plants will be going online in Hardin County, which means the Hardin County School District is in planning mode.

BlueOval SK Battery Plant has been busy training hundreds of employees.

Ever since the plant was announced, the Hardin County Board of Education started planning. They met with nearby school boards and learned how they prepped for future growth.

Hardin County is home to more than 112,000 people.

"I liked it enough to stay because of my wife," Dante Murray, an Elizabethtown resident, said.

Murray has been living in Elizabethtown for five years, and now he said, he expects more people to join him.

"You see growth in Elizabethtown, Radcliff, and all the way down to Fort Knox. This is good for people here in this community, it's good for people in Hardin County, to have the winning job opportunities," Murray said.

This $5.8 billion project is on track to bring thousands of jobs to the area.

"Currently, we really haven't seen the impact of Blue Oval being in this area," Hardin County Superintendent Terrie Morgan said.

Morgan said that's going to change.

"We want to make sure we're preparing for the growth that is coming," Morgan said.

As the plant hires, the Hardin County School District is gearing up to welcome hundreds of new students.

Right now, it has about 14,000 students. In the next 5 to 10 years, the superintendent says they anticipate about 6,000 more.

"We anticipate that happening slowly over time because we realize a lot of people who will work at the Blue Oval plant live close enough that they won't necessarily move to this immediate area," Morgan said.

So, it's redistricting G. C. Burkhead Elementary School and building a new West Middle High School for an additional 300 students.

Murray also appreciates the impact of the plant has on nearby cities.

"It's going to have investors from the bank. You're going to have companies getting involved in the community. There's going to be more tax dollars to help support the school system. So that's going to be great for the teachers, the staff and the politics here," Murray said.

The Elizabethtown Police Department is also preparing for the future.

It currently has an authorized strength of 88 sworn officers

Over the past two years, it has added about 20 sworn positions and it's on track to hire more.

Chris Denham, the department's public affairs officer, provided the following statement:

"We actively engage with citizens, and their feedback plays a significant role in out long-term planning. With the growth we're experiencing, our options were to add personnel or reduce services. The feedback has been clear. Our citizens expect that we continue to provide quality law enforcement services. Adjusting our staffing gives us the ability to continue to prioritize the safety and guilty of life everyone in our community."

The BlueOval SK Battery Plant is expected to open sometime in 2025. Morgan said until then, the district is ready to adjust as needed.

The Hardin County School District has 39 academic pathways for students.

Some of those pathways include: nursing, aerospace engineering, criminal justice, residential maintenance and more.

It also has one alternative school and a Early College and Career Center, where students can leave with an associate's degree when they graduate high school.

For more information on the district, click here.