Christian County/Hopkinsville Consolidation? (Update: Yes)

[TheDeuce]

The school board only has five members for a county that big? That seems odd to me. 

[BillNye]

1 hour ago, Region2 Hype Man said:

They will never win in 6A football unless changes are made and the Catholic schools are gone.

When have Christian County or Hopkinsville ever won in 5A football? 

[bulldog77]

Just a question.  Have any of the naysayers considered that this really has little to nothing to do with athletics?  Maybe, just maybe, it has to do with academic opportunities and budgeting?  Just asking for a friend.

[Region2 Hype Man]

1 minute ago, BillNye said:

When have Christian County or Hopkinsville ever won in 5A football? 

Christian made the 5A title games in 2008 & 2010. Have not been past the 2nd round since 2010. I think County has won 1 game in the last 2 seasons.

Hoptown moved to 5A from the old 3A in 2007. Hoptown had maybe 1 winning season during their time in 5A. Moved down to 4A in 2014 and have been very successful. I think Hoptown probably is one of the better 4A teams, but as of now it's hard to beat Boyle. Since Craig Clayton returned, you can see their program is being built back the way it was years ago.

Even combining the schools now would honestly make them a top 4A team and maybe a decent 5A team. But they generally will just be just winning their district yearly and having a battle with the Hardin County teams for the region title. They aren't close to Trinity, St. X, or Male.

The community stopped going to games as Hoptown stopped winning and Christian games have never drawn well. Kids lost interest as they didn't see the teams winning. And years of not playing big games and such, you'll see more of an empty stadium and more apathy. The better athletes won't play multiple sports, because they'll want to specialize to make sure they don't lose a spot.

[Region2 Hype Man]

3 minutes ago, bulldog77 said:

Just a question.  Have any of the naysayers considered that this really has little to nothing to do with athletics?  Maybe, just maybe, it has to do with academic opportunities and budgeting?  Just asking for a friend.

They have the money to build both schools. This was purely just a cheaper model. If they were doing it for academics, the studies show that 800-1000 is the ideal size for a High School.

[Bud_Kilmer]

I might be wrong but I think this will hurt academics more than anything else. Im just an advocate for smaller schools wit closer knit environments. As far as athletics, I think this will keep and lot of kids from playing sports or making the team. Which might in turn cause them to get in more trouble and grades to suffer. You also eliminate a special rivalry.

[bulldog77]

19 minutes ago, Region2 Hype Man said:

They have the money to build both schools. This was purely just a cheaper model. If they were doing it for academics, the studies show that 800-1000 is the ideal size for a High School.

In a vacuum, yes, your numbers are spot on.  However when making these kinds of decisions there are so many factors involved that optimum school size only becomes one of them.  I have absolutely no skin in the game and am just an outside observer so my questions are merely due to general interest.

[Region2 Hype Man]

2 minutes ago, bulldog77 said:

In a vacuum, yes, your numbers are spot on.  However when making these kinds of decisions there are so many factors involved that optimum school size only becomes one of them.  I have absolutely no skin in the game and am just an outside observer so my questions are merely due to general interest.

The city and state have wanted to do it for years. They've intentionally not repaired both schools and let them get in such disrepair where they said "Well we need 2 new schools and it's much cheaper to build 1. If you don't build this school you hate kids"

It's more about the city business developers wanting to sell this big school on a tourism brochure to get people to move here rather than the actual education. Both private schools are planning to expand and Trigg and Hopkins county are preparing for a big influx of parents moving their kids into their district.

[The Flea Market]

From all reports I hear the community is very divided. Plans are in place to run a campaign to get rid of the three board members who voted for this consolidation. They were the same ones that supported a nickel tax increase that the community voted down by a two to one margin. This superintendent needs to worry about his job if this happens?

[WKY_Football]

57 minutes ago, The Flea Market said:

From all reports I hear the community is very divided. Plans are in place to run a campaign to get rid of the three board members who voted for this consolidation. They were the same ones that supported a nickel tax increase that the community voted down by a two to one margin. This superintendent needs to worry about his job if this happens?

I agree. This one could get messy!!

[silo11]

Not sure where to post this thread or even if it has been mentioned elsewhere.  The Christian County school board voted to consolidate Hopkinsville High School and Christian County High School.  This means the school attendance will be around 2500 students.  Combining two athletic programs will be an interesting transition for both schools and has the potential to produce some excellent teams in many sports.

 

They want to be in the new school in 2024.

[The Flea Market]

Word out is several big time Coaches have inquired about this position. Mark Clark, Mike Rogers and Josh Jaggers are the names going around in this area. Todd Adler is also high on the list. Would Clay Clevenger want to make a move? Brandon Smith would be a great hire. This will be a great job when it opens up!

[WKY_Football]

2 hours ago, The Flea Market said:

Word out is several big time Coaches have inquired about this position. Mark Clark, Mike Rogers and Josh Jaggers are the names going around in this area. Todd Adler is also high on the list. Would Clay Clevenger want to make a move? Brandon Smith would be a great hire. This will be a great job when it opens up!

If Brandon Smith didn’t leave South Warren for Boyle County he dang sure isn’t leaving for the Christian County-Hopkinsville gig. 

[The Flea Market]

Did not say he would leave but he is one you will have to talk to to get him to turn you down?

[Socially Distanced]

I would think this job would go to someone that is actively leading a program of similar size and scope. Clarke and Rogers have had success at times but this would seem like a reach for either of them imo.