The Fayette County School Board voted Thursday to temporarily house the district’s two STEM academies in one building.
FCPS will open a new building for the district’s Rise STEM Academy for Girls next school year, but the vote would also relocate the George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys to the building while the district looks for a permanent home.
The final vote passed 3-1, with board chair Tyler Murphy, Amy Green and Menny Christian voting to approve. Board member Amanda Ferguson was absent.
Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said the decision to merge both academies was the most responsible solution for the district.
“This is a decision about financial responsibility long term, it is not about a number. Again, we have a balanced budget that we are operating within. It is about ensuring that we have a board that is committed to having long-term financial stability,” Liggins said.
Board member Monica Mundy was the sole vote against the proposal, saying she wants certainty both schools would have a permanent home amid uncertainty over the school district’s budget.
The school board had grappled with a $16 million shortfall, including a loss in contingency funds, earlier this year. The district’s budget systems are currently being reviewed by the state auditor’s office and a Texas accounting firm.
“I won't place students together and have a potentially permanent solution that I can't change when I don't even know if or what the plan is to continue,” Mundy said. “I've never heard that there has ever been anyone looking at a permanent home for George Washington Carver.”
That sentiment was echoed by some parents who spoke at the Thursday meeting.
“If a permanent building is not moving forward, the board must clearly identify long term solutions with timelines and milestones,” said Sarah Flood-Baumann, a parent of a Rise Academy student. “If adequate space is not available soon, where would GWC realistically go after one year?”
Calizza Farrell, the PTA president at George Washington Carver, spoke during the meeting’s public comment period. She said the merger is necessary for student equity and access.
“Both programs serve students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields, providing equitable facilities and communicating to students that Fayette County Public Schools believes in their potential and is actively working to remove systemic barriers that limit opportunity,” Farrell said.
The board also voted unanimously to search for a new funding source for the school district’s nontraditional learning program at Kentucky Horse Park. A previous proposal would have shuttered The Stables, which includes programs on equine management and horsemanship skills, after next school year if a funding source was not found.
