Lexington-Richland School District 5 votes to approve rezoning plans
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Lexington-Richland School District 5 voted Monday to approve rezoning plans that could impact where your child goes to school.
The district told WIS News 10 this is all part of its 5-year master facilities plan to handle growth and the condition of its buildings.
Superintendent Akil Ross said they want to use their existing buildings to handle current growth, by rezoning schools from the west into areas with more space, like Dutch Fork.
On the map below the red circles are schools with high capacity or stress points, the yellow represents schools that are already operating at their maximum, and the green shows ideal capacity for the district.
“By looking at that photo you can almost feel how many students need to move this way to make these yellow,” said Ross. “Or I can expand these buildings and make them yellow which makes me move fewer students this way, the option is up to the voters.”
There are two proposals. The first would eliminate the district’s two intermediate schools and turn them into new middle schools.
The second one relates to the $240 million bond referendum that board members approved in May.
The bond referendum will go towards multiple improvements, most notably, new buildings.
Without the referendum, the district will have to move schools towards yellow and green sections to balance the areas that are experiencing maximum capacity.
See below:
With the referendum, the district will have enough funds to expand buildings in those red areas and accommodate the students, see below:
To see what rezoning looks like for your student with and without the referendum click here
Despite what voters decide on the bond referendum, the district still plans on eliminating the district’s two intermediate schools, turning them into new middle schools. Ross tells WIS the most important thing is giving students and staff and safe place to learn.
“Moving students back is just part of it, but putting them into a building where the teachers and students can do the work of learning, is just as important”, said Ross.
Ross tells WIS to fix all of the health/safety and security needs within the district it would cost just over $39 million, according to a study the district did last year. To start chipping away at those needs, the school board also voted on issuing $15 million in an 8% short-term debt that can be paid off by next March.
Ross tells WIS the $240 million referendum and the 15 million dollars will not include a tax increase.
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