Friday, a Student Sustainability Symposium ended with a round of applause for Tresine Logsdon, who has spearheaded energy and sustainability programs at FCPS. She had just finished emceeing the student-led presentation, one that ended with lots of hugs from colleagues and students alike.
The event came as a petition is circulating to reinstate the program, which is among the cuts being made by the school system as it grapples with financial troubles.
Logsdon says she's proud of what the program has accomplished.
"Our team is humbled by the support and enthusiasm for sustainability," she said. "We have achieved a lot. Out students have achieved a great deal and there's still so much more to achieve."
The petition, launched by Amy Sohner, calls on FCPS not to "cut programs that pay for themselves," arguing the team's work has helped save the district money in utilities and other costs.
Logsdon describes the student program this way.
"It allows them to graduate from high school having had to understand what local sustainability looks like, which is different from what sustainability looks like in other areas, what are our unique challenges here in Lexington, and then actually make a difference," she said.
District spokesperson Miranda Scully said that the administration understands that the community continues to have questions and it acknowledges the "weight of the moment," echoing statements made by Superintendent Demetrus Liggins.
"You have to make hard decisions in hard times, and so we had to really take a deep dive into seeing what we could do in order to ensure that our budget is balanced for the coming school year," he said during a press conference.
Liggins has announced he will be taking a 10% pay cut in addition to a previously announced five-day reduction in his contract. He said leadership must help "bear the burden" as the district seeks to remedy financial issues that run far deeper than leaders had believed prior to recent findings.