At the latest meeting of the Lexington-Richland School District Five  board, newly elected members were sworn into office, and updates were provided on the next steps for the district’s bond referendum.

Catherine Huddle, Jason Baynham and Scott Herring officially joined the board following their election in November. Their terms will end in November 2028.

The board also elected new leadership. Kimberly Snipes was named chair, Kevin Scully was appointed vice chair and Scott Herring was selected as secretary.

In other news, Superintendent Akil E. Ross Sr. provided an update on the district’s bond referendum, which was approved by voters in the recent election. The referendum includes facility improvements such as new construction, upgrades and maintenance throughout schools.

He outlined the next steps in the process, focusing on bond issuance, financing and the overall timeline for implementation.

A Citizens Advisory Review Team (CART) will play a role in the process. The review team will monitor progress and provide feedback when requested.

To further enhance transparency, the district will provide a dashboard on its website. This dashboard will allow residents to track the status of the bond referendum’s phases.

The dashboard will display seven key steps: procurement, design, construction documents, permitting, construction, occupancy and closeout. Each step will be marked with a color-coded dot—red for “not started,” yellow for “in progress” and green for “completed.”

The district is preparing for rezoning in the 2025-26 school year, focusing on staffing and construction-related changes.

American Education Week, which highlights the importance of education and the contributions of educators and school staff, began Monday, Nov. 18 and ends Friday, Nov. 22.

In recognition of their hard work, permanent employees in the district will receive a one-time payment of $1,000 by the end of the week.

The next regular board meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2024, at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies, located at 916 Mt. Vernon Church Rd. in Chapin.