Wednesday night, parents pressed Liggins on a number of questions — from worries over how RISE can grow with applications being capped to complaints over the use of eminent domain at the new facility site.
But many concerns revolved around a new plan that would combine the all-girls school with the all-boys George Washington Carver STEM Academy.
Parents asked why the new proposal seems to be coming so late in the process.
"Why is it, when we could have designed this building to accommodate male and female learners... it wasn't done?" one speaker said. "We're talking about a change order in December before the new school building is supposed to open. How is this not malfeasance on the part of our school board?"
Liggins said shifting demographics, worries about sustainability, and financial concerns are forcing the district to reevaluate its use of facilities. The superintendent stressed that both he and the school board consider the RISE girls academy a program they take pride in, and want to see succeed.
"I know there's a lot of passion in the room and I want you to understand that it is everyone's goal, mine included, that we do everything we can to ensure that RISE is the best program that it can be," Liggins said at the start of the meeting.
The meeting was part of a listening tour the superintendent is conducting before he formulates recommendations. The decision about facilities, he said, will ultimately be up to the school board.