FCPS has to spend an additional $121,717 on the new Rise Academy. Here’s why

Fayette County Public Schools has to spend an additional $121,717 on the new Rise Academy for Girls to make various changes to the original plans, according to school board documents.

The total project cost is a little more than $58.4 million, said district spokesperson Miranda Scully.

The new Rise STEM Academy for Girls, with a capacity of 900 students, will serve K-7 grades and is nearing completion at the intersection of Mason Headley and Versailles Road.

“This building features flexible, collaborative space that encourages students to indulge their STEM interests through fun, accessible, and interactive project-based learning. Environmentally friendly and energy-efficient strategies were used in the design. The building is scheduled to open in fall 2026,” the district website says.

George Washington Carver STEM Academy for K-5 students will share the building for the 2026-27 school year. In May, district officials said, “We do not have final determination on the future location of the George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys beyond the 2026-27 school year.”

FCPS officials had made the decision previously to move the George Washington Carver academy, which is for boys, into the same building temporarily. In order to do that, the district decided to pay more than $277,000 to put urinals in the building. The boys’ academy will be in a separate wing from the girls’ academy.

A 5% contingency of about $2.49 million is included in the project’s available funds. There have been five previous change orders on this project. The cost of the change orders represent a 2.39% increase in the construction cost, board agenda documents say.

Agenda documents speak to the reasons for the added costs: The school district Office of Facility Design & Construction, the design consultants and the local building code officials have reviewed the progress of the work. Changes to the original plans and specifications have been necessary in order to satisfy various requirements.

Among the revisions necessitating the extra $121,000: Changes will be made to various equipment in or aspects of the gym, changes will be made to increase the size of the building address numbers per instructions from the fire department, the ventilation fan in a storm shelter needs to be revised, electrical circuits for mechanical equipment need to be upgraded, and emergency responder radio coverage throughout the building is being increased.

School board members are set to vote on the increase July 20.

This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 12:59 PM.