One aspect of the recent announcement by Midway College to launch a pharmacy school in Paintsville should be communicated to counties throughout the state. It is the important role high scores by students in both the Paintsville Independent School District and the Johnson County School District on state mandated achievements tests played in convincing a private college in central Kentucky to invest in a small eastern Kentucky town.
During ceremonies announcing the launching of the Paintsville pharmacy school in 2011, Midway officials said the ever-improving scores of Paintsville and Johnson County help convince them that there were more than enough young people in the small town with the academic skills to complete a demanding pharmacy program.
Paintsville Superintendent Coy Sammons used the pharmacy school announcement to praise the achievements of students in both Paintsville and Johnson County. Both school districts have consistently ranked in the top 10 to 15 percent of the state’s academic rankings in recent years and have maintained an emphasis on the value of education, Sammons said.
The pharmacy school, which will begin offering classes in the fall of 2011, is a major shot in the economic arm for Paintsville. It will create an estimated 100 new jobs, with the top salaries being around $150,000 annually. It will have 60 students the first year, 120 the second year, 180 the third year, and 240 the fourth year. Many of those students will be looking for places to rent in and around Paintsville, and if they are like the medical students at Pikeville College, they will be excellent renters. The school also will help ease the shortage of pharmacists in eastern Kentucky, as most of the graduates are expected to remain in the region.
While Ashland is likely to only receive a few side benefits of a pharmacy school in Paintsville, all area school districts can learn from the important role the Paintsville and Johnson County schools had in attracting the pharmacy school. The message should be clear: Having good schools where students excel academically is an investment that can reap benefits for the entire community.
