School Gets Critical Maintenance Improvements Thanks to Pandemic Relief Funding (ESSER)

If you notice fresh paint or a new ceiling around LaRue County Schools’ hallways, thank the maintenance team and ESSER funding. Because of this pandemic relief federal funding, LaRue County Schools has tackled some of their mission-critical maintenance tasks to improve the state of the school buildings. ESSER funding allowed the LaRue County maintenance team to address longstanding issues and provide a better learning environment for students.

LaRue County’s low property tax rate meant that ESSER funding became a key opportunity for the schools to handle extensive repairs that improved student safety and performance. The success of a school has a lot of components, but an important piece to that puzzle comes from the facility itself. LaRue County Schools Maintenance Director WL Miller had a backlog of projects that he was able to tackle thanks to the ESSER funding.

“Mission critical” projects included handling the failing HVAC for Hodgenville Elementary that had reached its lifespan; replacing foam roofing at Hodgenville Elementary and the preschool; and replacing flooring at the LCMS gym, including addressing the bathroom flooring and accessibility issues.

One of the biggest projects that the community might notice is a complete overhaul of the LCHS auditorium. Miller pointed out that the auditorium was 28 years old, and nearly all of it was original. This room, while it might seem to be needed only on special occasions, is utilized on a daily basis throughout the day due to LCHS being at full capacity.

Miller mentioned that while these high-priority projects have been on the District’s Facilities Plan for some time, the low tax rate made it hard to maintain even basic replacements and address needs.

“These projects or needs have been known about and listed on the Districts Facilities Plan. But with Larue County's low tax rate it's difficult to maintain the district's needs and harder to replace when needed,” he said.

“All the mentioned projects were underway when I started as Maintenance Director in August. I am impressed how David Raliegh, Phil Fulkerson, Jessica Castenir and the Board members addressed the needs of the District and used the ESSER money that will have a long-lasting effect on the children and community of Larue County.”

School maintenance has been shown to have a direct impact on student performance. Students perform better in environments where they feel safe, secure, and invested. Simply put, a student is less likely to pay attention in class whenever the air conditioning is broken or they’re sitting in a broken auditorium seat.