Last-minute surprises at filing deadline shake up Fayette County school board races

Last-minute surprises popped up at Tuesday’s filing deadline for the Fayette school board Nov. 8 general election, with one candidate saying she intends to withdraw and a former board member filing to get her old seat back.

In the District 2 race, Lexington business owner Heather Cherry told the Herald-Leader she had filed to oppose board chairman Tyler Murphy but just before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline said she would withdraw because a family member is employed by the school district. Cherry said the family member’s position means that Cherry has a conflict. Her decision left Murphy without opposition.

Also, on Tuesday afternoon, former school board member Amanda Ferguson filed to oppose incumbent Stephanie Spires for the District 4 seat which Ferguson held from 2007 until she resigned in 2016.

“I am running primarily for the same reason I served before: I care about education in my community and believe our public schools should be the best they can be for all students,” said Ferguson.

“I have had many people tell me over the last several years that they wish I was still on the board and many have asked me to run again. I appreciate that confidence and believe I would bring a unique set of skills and experience to the seat. I know children succeed when their teachers and school support staff feel supported but we have gotten away from that,” Ferguson said Tuesday afternoon.

Ferguson said she has been the executive director of the non-profit Surgery on Sunday Center Inc. since May 2017.

Among the areas included in District 4 are Lexington’s Tates Creek Road area. District 2 includes north Lexington.

Then-Kentucky Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt appointed Spires in 2017 to fill the seat Ferguson vacated and Spires was elected to the seat in November 2018. Spires was selected as chairwoman by other school board members in August 2018 and stayed in that position until 2021.

Matthew Vied, a Fayette parent who lobbied for Fayette students to return to school during the COVID in-person shutdown, is also opposing Spires for the District 4 seat.

“COVID happened and the Board and District officials kept our schools closed far, far longer than I thought was wise and so I began persistently advocating for what I thought was best for kids,” Vied said in explaining why he is running.

He said students needed to be in the classroom in a learning environment that was as close to normal as possible.

Vied said he was openly critical of the Fayette schools COVID strategy and believes that the drastic decline in test scores and “heartbreaking” increase in mental health contacts between students and school staff lend significant credence to that criticism.

“So why am I running, specifically?,” said Vied. “It’s a matter of principle for me. It’s not my nature to be all talk, no action. I have been critical of the Board’s leadership and oversight of FCPS, the District 4 seat is up for election, I live in District 4, so I’m running for that seat.”

Vied said beyond COVID, he cares about kids and schools. He said he’s an experienced sales leader for a national manufacturing company where he manages a large budget.

Spires was elected to the school board in November 2018. She was previously past president of the Lexington Hearing and Speech Center PTA former executive director at Arbor Youth Services, and previously a member of the Fayette County Public Schools Special Needs Task Force.

Spires said she is seeking re-election because there is still more work to do to ensure that every child in Fayette County has access to high quality education.

Spires said she was proud of the board’s accomplishments including hiring Demetrus Liggins as superintendent, developing and implementing a 10-point safety plan, expanding the number of mental health professionals and nurses in Fayette County Schools and building new facilities such as the new Tates Creek High School.

“But there is still more that needs to be done including facility upgrades, redesigning and reimagining Fayette County Public Schools middle schools and special programs, and investing in and expanding continuing education opportunities and support for Fayette County teachers and employees,” said Spires. “I hope the community will look at my experience, as well as my commitment and record on equity and allow me the opportunity to serve another term.”

Murphy, a Boyle County high school social studies teacher, who was first elected to the Fayette school board in 2018 said he was running for re-election “because we have more work to do, together, to build on the progress we have made to ensure a strong public schools for every child in Fayette County.”

Murphy’s fellow school board members voted him chairman in 2021.

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 4:23 PM.