FRANKFORT, Ky. — Floyd and Martin counties will be among the first beneficiaries of a new school construction program funded by the Better Kentucky Plan.

The Better Kentucky Plan is a plan to use $700 million in pandemic relief funds for infrastructure projects agreed to by Gov. Andy Beshear and legislative leaders earlier this year.

On Wednesday, Gov. Beshear announced that 13 school projects totaling $127 million have been tentative approval.

Among those projects are $10.6 million for Inez Elementary in Martin County and nearly $11 million for Duff-Allen Central Elementary in Floyd County.

It is now up to local school districts to decide whether or not to accept the money. If one or more of the projects is declined, that money will fall to projects that fall next on the state’s prioritized list.