Volunteers at one of Lexington’s most struggling schools asking for a new concept

Volunteers at one of Lexington’s poorest performing elementary schools on statewide tests are asking Fayette school board members for a new concept that would transform it.

Members of Christ Church Cathedral have volunteered at Lexington’s Harrison Elementary School for more than 15 years.

“We want a new concept for the school and we want it marketed...with a big promotional push,” volunteer Mary Mc Lisle told school board members at the April regular meeting last week. “We are asking for some stability.”

When the new school year begins, Harrison Elementary will have had three principals in three years, Lisle said. She said the volunteer group is calling for a three to five year plan with goals to track progress.

The Herald-Leader reported last year that Harrison was among the schools with the biggest percentages of students testing at the lowest, or novice, level in math and reading.

More than 88% of the school’s students are classified as economically disadvantaged, according to the most recent data from the Kentucky Department of Education website. 53.2% of students are Black, 20.3% are white, 18% are Hispanic or Latino and 8.5% are listed as other.

A new program should be introduced to bring middle income students to Harrison, Lisle said.

In the past, Fayette schools have placed some gifted, talented and magnet programs at schools drawing from predominantly low-income neighborhoods.

“We want to make the school desirable,” Lisle said. She said, for example, that the scores of first graders were “amazing” and should be publicized. She said a study hall should be started for Harrison students at the nearby Salvation Army.

Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said in response on Tuesday that “our district leadership team is acutely aware of the challenges we face at Harrison and have already started taking steps to address them.”

Liggins said part of the work will include assembling a committee of people involved in the school and that he had asked Mc Lisle if she or a member of her church would be willing to participate.

“Community partners like Mary Mc Lisle and Christ Church Cathedral are part of the fabric of Harrison Elementary School,” said Liggins. “They have built a long-standing relationship with our students, staff and families there, and as superintendent, I not only welcome, but value their dialogue, feedback and input.“

School district officials have tried various initiatives over the years to improve academic performance at Harrison, including extending the school day.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the church sometimes had 25 volunteers in the school per week. This year, seven volunteers from the church are contributing 33 hours per week and have donated $7,000 to the school, Lisle said.

“We love Harrison,” Lisle said. “We are very concerned though about the future of inner city schools.”

Families at the school are struggling, she said.

Housing prices have shot up so fast, she said, that many parents can no longer afford to live downtown.

“In fact, they can not afford to live anywhere. They go from rental unit to another unit, getting evicted because they simply do not have enough money,” she said.