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‘A deep concern.’ Parents unhappy with facilities at Lexington girls’ Rise STEM school

Lexington Herald-Leader - 6/28/2022

Inadequate bathrooms, gym, playground and classroom space are causing concerns for the future of Fayette County’s Rise STEM Academy for Girls, parents told school board members Monday.

Moreover, at the monthly school board meeting parents asked for transparent communication as the district makes plans to construct a new facility.

“Insufficient facilities for our scholars and lack of communication from the district to our families are unacceptable,” said Selvi Jeyaraj, the Academy’s PTA president, as she read a letter from PTA families.

Fayette County Public Schools launched the Rise STEM Academy for Girls in the 2020-21 school year to support girls in science, technology, engineering and math. The magnet school, which is housed in the former Linlee Elementary at 2420 Spurr Road, initially taught up to 150 students in grades K-2 and will add a level every year through eighth grade.

Jeyaraj said there is “a deep concern for the future of our school.”

Overwhelmingly, families are happy with teachers, administration and staff, but not the building, she said.

She said at the school’s inception in 2020 parents were told that the school’s location in the old Linlee school on Spurr Road was temporary and a new permanent home would be completed in three years.

Since that time, families have not had any specific updates or a chance to ask questions of district officials, Jeyaraj said.

She said families appreciated a commitment to Rise that Liggins expressed in a June 24 email. But families want action.

“That commitment implies a range of actions that transform the words of a letter from empty platitudes and slogans to a binding reality that impacts the attitudes, emotions, and success of our scholars, “ said Jeyaraj.

She said the current building “is lacking in the basics.”

Jeyaraj said the bathrooms, gymnasium, playgrounds and classroom space were inadequate. The bathrooms are lacking in the number of stalls, space and privacy, she said.

“An outsider would be hard pressed to identify our gym,” Jeyaraj said. “We estimate that our current location is only viable for a year.”

The appearance of the school does not reflect the quality of the instruction, she said.

“Certainly this space doesn’t embody the high quality environment” promised by the school board, said Jeyaraj.

Parents are asking for transparent communication about the new location. Otherwise, the school board is limiting the recruitment of new students, she said.

She said it was unreasonable to ask families to choose a school where the facilities were lacking.

Parent Dana Kelley said Rise Academy needed an art and music program. Kelley said the playground looked like a pre-school playground.

Earlier in June , Fayette school officials received permission from the state to buy property on Versailles Road. State documents said they want to build two new schools on the property: A 450-student elementary school and a 900-student girls’ K-8 STEM school.

In April, the Fayette school board voted to purchase land and a home at 2160 Versailles Road from Lexington developer Dudley Webb’s family, about 36 acres at the intersection of Versailles Road and Mason Headley Road. The current purchase price is $10.1 million.

In response to the concerns parents discussed Monday, the district released to the Herald-Leader a June 24 email to families of Rise students from Liggins.

In it, Liggins emphasized that a permanent building for Rise was one of the top priorities in the district’s facilities plan and “we remain committed to providing a state-of-the-art facility for this incredible program.”

Liggins acknowledged that the Fayette County Board of Education voted to initiate steps to buy land along Versailles Road for “future program expansion.”

“That purchase is not yet complete, and although there have been preliminary conversations about building a facility for Rise STEM Academy there, no decisions have been made,” he said.

“The volatile nature of the current construction market has impacted many of the projects the district had been planning, and we do not yet know how we will move forward,” said Liggins.

“While I cannot tell you when we will break ground on a new home for Rise, or where that future site will be, I can tell you that our district is firmly committed to making Rise STEM Academy a model for what can be done to open doors for girls and young women in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math,” he said.

Liggins said as more information is available, he will share it with families.

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