Lexington’s Rise STEM Academy not adding 6th grade as planned. Decision raises concerns

A parent and member of the Fayette Schools’ Equity Council Committee said she will contest a decision announced Tuesday night not to add a sixth-grade program to Rise STEM Academy for Girls as planned.

The magnet school opened in 2020 and initially launched with grades kindergarten through second and a long-term plan to expand through eighth grade.

But Tuesday, Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins held a meeting with families and issued statements that said the district has decided not to proceed with launching the sixth-grade program for the 2024-25 school year as originally planned.

“Ever since its establishment amid the pandemic, the school has been in a state of constant flux, marked by notable transformations every year, including adding grade levels and making significant adjustments to the curriculum,” Liggins said in an email to families. “Putting a halt to further expansions and providing some consistency across consecutive school years will facilitate a comprehensive assessment of the program.”

The program is aimed at economically disadvantaged girls of color. A newly constructed school for grades kindergarten through five is planned for land on Versailles Road.

Also, in October, school board members approved using $2.1 million to purchase equipment and make building improvements to the 701 E. Main St. Annex Building for the sixth-grade program.

The rationale at the time was that starting this August, Rise STEM Academy for Girls middle school would have been housed at the 701 E. Main St. Annex Building until a new facility opened. Building improvements would have included technology, lighting, HVAC upgrades and kitchen equipment, agenda documents said.

Monica Mundy, a parent of a Rise fifth-grader and a member of the Fayette Equity Council Committee, talked about the decision to halt the program at Tuesday night’s Equity Council meeting after she and other parents met with Liggins at a separate gathering.

“Where does this leave our families?” said Mundy. She said the school district has “let down” 50 girls who will now have to attend a middle school assigned to their home address or apply to another special program instead of continuing at Rise STEM Academy.

“The district targets disadvantaged girls of color in recruitment for Rise, and those scholars, along with all the other students, are ignored,” Mundy told the Herald-Leader. She said the sixth-graders will be “the lost girls.”

Mundy said she’s going to speak at the next school board meeting March 25 about her concerns. Members of the Equity Council said they would support her.

“We understand that this news may come as a disappointment to many of our families, and we want to assure you that this decision was made with the utmost consideration for the needs and emotions of our students and their families,” Liggins said in the email to families.

“The decision to pause the grade level expansion of the program is motivated by the necessity to prioritize efforts and resources toward establishing a strong foundation for the Rise STEM Academy for Girls. Focusing on the foundational phases of the program is vital for its long-term success,” he said.

At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Liggins elaborated on the decision.

He said it had nothing to do with a finances or the earlier decision to spend $2.1 million on the sixth-grade program. Liggins said he made the decision at the last minute after he had exhausted all options to make the expansion work.

“My heart breaks for those young ladies and those families,” Liggins said, adding families “have every right to be upset.”

“We tried so hard,” said Liggins said of the efforts to add sixth grade at Rise. “Ultimately, it would have been irresponsible for me not to stop the program.”

“I want this program to survive,” he continued.

Liggins said the initial vision for the school has not come to fruition for a variety of reasons, including constant change and partnerships that did not happen. He noted he did not want it to continue to be “a program that is not fulfilling the full vision that it can.”

The superintendent said he didn’t know when the sixth grade would be added to the school that focuses on science, technology, engineering and math. He said first, the foundation for the existing grades should be stronger.

Despite the change in plans, Fayette County Public Schools remains steadfast in its commitment to the Rise STEM Academy for Girls program, Liggins said in a news release.

The magnet school is housed in the former Linlee Elementary at 2420 Spurr Road. District officials confirmed in the news release Tuesday night the construction plan for a new school building for kindergarten through fifth-graders is still in process.

But now, students entering sixth grade for the 2024-25 school year will have the option of attending their home districted school or might be eligible for another special program depending on program-specific requirements and space, Liggins said.

”Our goal is to establish the best K-5 girls STEM program in the nation, and this decision aligns with that vision,” Liggins said. “...we need to reinvest in the foundation and innovation of the program.”

Additional resources will be allocated for staff training and curriculum support next year, “ensuring that every student receives a world-class STEM education,“ Liggins said.

This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 12:06 PM.