Lexington Richland School District 5 outlines rezoning, staff-preference survey and certification plan ahead of 2026 middle-school conversion

Superintendent Dr. Ross presented a three-year rezoning and staffing calendar and a staff-preference survey intended to guide staffing and certification ahead of the district's transition of intermediate schools to middle schools, which the administration said will take effect July 1, 2026 for the 2026–27 school year.

The plan centers on a districtwide faculty and staff survey to be issued in May 2025 to close to 2,000 employees, a timeline to mine responses over the summer, and targeted certification support. “This is not anything you can wait to the year before or even a few months before. It must happen, it must happen now,” Dr. Ross told the board, urging early data collection so staff preferences can drive placement decisions. The district said it will pay for summer certification courses in 2025 and 2026 for staff who need secondary certification to remain at sites that convert from intermediate to middle school.

Why it matters: the district will change feeder patterns and programs as Crossroads Intermediate and others convert to middle schools. That will add athletics, band and other middle-school programs and create different certification requirements (secondary-only at the converted sites). The administration framed the advance planning as necessary to reduce disruption for teachers, preserve staff relationships and ensure required special-education and intervention staffing is in place when rezoning is implemented.

Key details from the calendar and planning outline: - Effective date: new elementary zones and the related staffing model will take effect July 1, 2026, for the 2026–27 school year. Planning is under way now. - Staff survey: scheduled for May 2025; the administration will mine responses in June and summer 2025 and use them to guide placements in July–September 2025. The district will determine who is employed for the 2025–26 year after May 10, 2025, to produce accurate survey population data. - Certification support: district-paid certification courses are planned for summer 2025 and summer 2026 so staff who wish to remain at sites converting to secondary-only certification can become credentialed before rezoning takes effect. - Staffing sequence: February 2025 enrollment projections; director review (“director's cut”) of special education, athletics, electives and supports; May staff survey; June preliminary projections; July–September placement mining and coordination; October district communication about outcomes; November principal meetings; December final staffing assignments. - Vacancies and recruitment: packet for the meeting included 17 newly hired teachers who had not yet been assigned sites; the district reported 168 attendees at a Jan. 11 recruitment event.

Board members asked how veteran status or years of service would factor into placements. Dr. Ross responded that preferences—not years of service—are the starting point: “If you prefer to stay at Crossroads, then we want you at Crossroads,” he said, adding that certification status will determine whether the district must enroll staff in summer courses. In response to a question about state flexibility, Dr. Ross said the district already pursues permits and alternative certification pathways and will continue using those processes while supporting employees through certification.

The superintendent also summarized parent and student advisory input collected in fall 2024: parents emphasized individualized learning and involvement (“whatever you do, I want it for my child”), while students prioritized teachers meeting each student's learning goals and helping with future plans. Dr. Ross told the board to consider those advisory priorities when setting board-level budget and policy priorities during the upcoming workshop cycle.

What the administration did not decide tonight: no formal rezoning maps or final staffing placements were approved; the presentation established timelines and described the data-collection process. The board did not vote on specific boundary lines or personnel placements at this meeting.

Looking ahead: the administration said it will report survey results and staffing-placement outcomes to principals in November 2025 and issue final placement letters in December 2025 so schools can be ready for the July 1, 2026 rezoning.