After outcry, FCPS plans to introduce new proposal for merged STEM academies

After a public outcry over adding George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys into Rise STEM Academy for Girls’ new building, the Fayette County Board of Education is being asked to approve a revised proposal that would only temporarily consolidate the pair.

The revised proposal is on the agenda for the school board’s Thursday meeting, during which Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins is also set to recommend the board keep a separate, special therapy program open.

FCPS is set to complete construction on the new $58.4 million Rise academy facility off Versailles Road during the 2025-26 school year, but still needs a plan for the STEM academy for boys.

The revised proposal for consideration Thursday says FCPS would temporarily relocate George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys to a separate wing of the Rise building without spending money on modifications, then later identify a permanent, suitable location for the boys’ academy.

In addition, the district would halt plans for facility improvements to the current facility housing George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys, the 86-year-old former Johnson Elementary School building.

The proposal also calls for an initiative called Right Size, Bright Future with an eye toward identifying a possible location for the boys’ academy to recommend to the school board and other parties.

Finally, the district would “continue maximized recruitment and enrollment efforts for both programs.”

In 2026-27, FCPS would move Rise STEM Academy for Girls from its current home at the former Linlee Elementary School into its new Versailles Road building. George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys would occupy a wing of the Rise building, while maintaining each school as a distinct program.

Under the proposal, the district would aim to have secured a new home for the boys’ academy for the 2027-28 school year, or sooner.

When asked for comment on the revised proposal late Wednesday, FCPS Chief of Staff Tracy Bruno told the Herald-Leader, “as for the agenda item, we believe the Executive Summary speaks for itself.” No further comment was given.

FCPS STEM academies

Rise STEM Academy for Girls opened the 2020-21 school year with an enrollment of 137 students in grades kindergarten through two, with a vision to add a class each year until the program included girls in K through eighth grade. Now in its sixth year, the program serves 242 students in grades K through five, following a decision in 2024 to pause expansion into the middle school grades.

The academy will move into its new, state-of-the art location in fall 2026. Designed with a capacity of 900 students, the $58.4 million building provides room to expand into the middle school grades as was envisioned when the program began.

George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys opened the 2021-22 school year with an enrollment of 99 boys in grades kindergarten through two. Now in its fifth year, the program serves 144 scholars in grades K through five.

The construction of a new facility for George Washington Carver STEM Academy is listed as one of 13 capital construction priorities on the 2025 District Facilities Plan.

Making the existing location suitable to continue serving students will cost roughly $3 million in maintenance and renovation.

“Across the district, recent and ongoing school construction will add capacity for roughly 2,000 additional students in rapidly growing neighborhoods while overall student FCPS enrollment remains relatively unchanged as the number of families moving into Lexington-Fayette County has slowed,” agenda documents read.

With more schools and programs than districts of comparable size, budgetary constraints and rezoning on the horizon, Liggins established the Right Size, Bright Future initiative to evaluate the maximization of resources and identify potential efficiencies across programs.

As part of that effort, the school board was initially asked to relocate the George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys into the new Rise STEM Academy for Girls building when it opens.

The ask entailed keeping the two programs separate and making changes to bathrooms, colors and branding in one wing of the building to accommodate the boys’ academy, possibly costing an additional $2.5 million.

In the agenda documents for Thursday’s meeting, district officials said the new proposal would actualize the original vision for both programs and ensure they are housed in state-of-the-art facilities designed specifically to support rich, STEM-centered instruction.

This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 7:57 PM.