Principal Regina Clark presented New Haven School’s year of progress at the Nelson County Board of Education meeting on Dec. 16, highlighting social‑emotional programming (Mustang Matters), Ascend intervention groups for upper elementary, and use of a common instructional scaffold (MEAL paragraph) to create continuity K–5.

Clark and district presenters said I‑Ready diagnostic data show gains and a reduction in the novice population; district presenters discussed projections (examples cited: elementary reading projected at about 45% in the winter projection window) and emphasized interventions to continue progress through May. Guest Amy Durbin, in public comment, singled out New Haven for placing in the top 2% statewide for academic growth.

Architects then presented a revised New Haven site plan that converts the lane between the gym and the school to a pedestrian plaza, reorients vehicular circulation to a rear bus drop and front drop‑off loop, and adds a pre‑K playground adjacent to pre‑K classrooms. The plan includes an outdoor classroom adjacent to the media center, a secure vestibule and an exterior canopy to create safer circulation and community gathering space. To reduce immediate costs the team scaled back exterior building improvements and deferred full HVAC and electrical replacement to later phases, to be funded separately.

Architects described the design development phase and said they expect to present design‑development documents within a month for board consideration, which would allow staff to submit documents to the Kentucky Department of Education and to move toward construction documents and bidding in the spring.

What was not decided: the board did not vote to approve construction documents at this meeting; HVAC and electrical upgrades were not included in the current $5,000,000 budget and will require later funding or phased work.

Representative quote: "So closing that drive lane for safety, adding an exterior open canopy connector...and the pre‑K playground are major shifts in how the site works," the architect said during the presentation.

Next steps: the architects and district staff will refine design development details and return with renderings and specific documents for a January board action on design development.