The Lexington-Richland School District Five Board of Trustees met to discuss academic progress, a new course offering and approve the 2025-26 school calendar.

Board members approved of a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) advanced animation course at Spring Hill High in Chapin. Coordinators presented a framework for the course to members, which falls under the Game and Interactive Media Design pathway.

The board also approved the 2025-26 school year calendar. Thanksgiving Break will be from Nov. 26 to Nov. 28, Winter Break from Dec. 22 to Jan. 1 and Spring Break from April 6 to April 10. The school year begins on Aug. 7 and ends on May 22, with half days on May 20, 21 and 22.

In other news

Lilly Reed Black, a senior at Spring Hill High who competes on the Chapin High School golf team, won the individual title at the Girls’ Golf 5A Division II State Championship. She also became the first individual girls’ gold champion in Chapin High history.

Lillian Reeves, a senior at Irmo High School, won the Magnet Schools of America National Poster Award for her design reflecting the pillar of diversity.  

The Future Farmers of America (FFA) program at the Center was also recognized by the board.

Superintendent Akil Ross updated the board on the bond referendum, outlining the next steps: financing, management and rezoning. While these steps will take time, Ross emphasized that the priority is to stay within the budget.

The district aims to have certifications in place by the summer of 2025-26 to implement changes by the start of the 2026 school year.

Ross reported improvement in the district’s high school graduation rate, noting an increase in students moving toward graduation, particularly at Dutch Fork High.

However, he highlighted the need for continued growth and improvement in English Language Arts (ELA), with 59.9% of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2024, while 60.6% of students met or exceeded expectations the previous school year.

For third graders, students scoring “does not meet expectations” on state assessments in 2024-25 will be required to be retained unless they meet a good cause exemption.

Third graders' reading portfolios, which is a collection of the students' work and assessments that demonstrates the mastery of state reading standards, has been removed as a good cause exemption.

Ross presented data showing that 16,238 South Carolina third-graders, including 266 students in Lexington-Richland Five would have scored “does not meet expectations” on the S.C. Ready assessment last year if reading portfolios were not included.

Lexington-Richland Five will host a hiring event on Jan. 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Irmo Middle School, seeking both certified teachers and support staff.

The next board meeting will be held on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies, located at 916 Mt. Vernon Church Rd. in Chapin.