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Nelson County Board approves local planning committee’s facility plan, schedules public hearing
Summary
After months of meetings, the board approved a District Facility Plan (DFP) recommending 6–12 East/West campuses, expanded CTE at OKH and Bloomfield, and renovations at New Haven and Cox’s Creek; the vote was 3–2 and a public hearing is set for June 9.
The Nelson County Board of Education voted 3–2 on May 20 to approve the draft District Facility Plan recommended by the Local Planning Committee (LPC), setting a public hearing for June 9 and appointing LPC facilitator James Nijhoff to conduct the hearing.
Adam Gosselin, chair of the LPC, described the committee’s months-long process and its data-driven recommendation. “There was 19 of parents, administrators, and teachers and stuff across the district,” Gosselin said, summarizing the committee’s membership and work. The LPC evaluated four organizational models and recommended a 6–12 East/West campus model that, the committee concluded, would expand access to career and technical education (CTE) at OKH and Bloomfield Middle School and reduce student transitions.
The LPC’s plan calls for constructing or reconfiguring high-school and middle-school wings on the two campuses, expanding CTE opportunities at OKH and Bloomfield, and renovating New Haven Elementary and Cox’s Creek Elementary. The draft plan also lists discretionary long‑term projects and leaves timing and sequencing decisions to the board.
Supporters of the plan — including multiple public commenters who addressed the board during the meeting — said the LPC process was thorough and emphasized student access, continuity and staff collaboration. Tiffany Clark, who spoke during public comment, urged the board to act: “This moment brings us closer to equitable programs and access for all students in our community,” she said.
Opponents and some board members expressed concerns about feeder patterns, long‑term enrollment projections and the potential cost of major construction. Board member David Norman said he remained concerned about placing sixth graders and twelfth graders on a shared campus, recalling that “each grade level learns differently.” Board members Amanda Deaton and David Norman spoke at length about tradeoffs between efficiency and the community value of existing high‑school identities.
The board also discussed procedural compliance during the meeting. Board attorney reviewed Open Meetings and Open Records Act requirements and confirmed the LPC’s process and public notices had been filed for KDE review. The board’s vote to approve the draft plan was followed by a motion to schedule a public hearing; district staff recommended Monday, June 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the central office to meet KDE notice requirements.
Following the approval, the board appointed James Nijhoff to conduct the public hearing and asked district staff to publish the required notices. The DFP now proceeds to the public‑hearing stage required by KDE before final adoption of any projects or applications for state facility funding. The approved draft does not itself authorize construction or specific spending; those decisions will come later and will require further board action.
