Superintendent Liggins’ contract renewed for another 4 years by Fayette school board

It’s four more years for Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins.

Monday night, before a crowd of about 300 people, the Fayette County Public Schools Board renewed Liggins’ contract in the face of controversy involving supporters and critics.

The crowd spilled over into an overflow room, and 36 people signed up to speak.

The new contract will run from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2029.

In the past three weeks, petitions were circulating both for and against renewing Liggins’ contract because some parents had concerns about the utilization of public funds and the quality of education.

Opponents charged in their petition to oust him detailed concerns about how he deployed resources and spent the district’s money.

A competing petition from a parent asked school board members to renew the contract, insisting Liggins had done a good job.

There were recent statements of support from principals and the district equity council.

The vote was 3-2 with Board Chairman Tyler Murphy, Vice-Chair Amy Green and new board member Penny Christian voting to renew the contract.

Board members Monica Mundy and Amanda Ferguson voted against renewing it.

Mundy said after listening to all sides, there are real concerns and challenges that need to be addressed.

The 47-year-old Liggins said after the vote, “I appreciate the support from the board, staff and community and look forward to collaborating with everyone to build on the outstanding work happening throughout our district each day.”

Earlier in the meeting, Mundy entered a motion --and Ferguson had seconded it -- that the vote be tabled until after the school board retreat and after Liggins’ first evaluation of 2025.

Christian, Murphy and Green all voted against the motion to delay the contract vote Monday night.

All terms of the contract are exactly the same as those found in the current fourth year of the superintendent’s present contract, district spokesperson Dia Davidson Smith said.

In 2021, the Fayette County Public Schools board approved a four-year contract with Liggins beginning July 26, 2021, with an annual base salary of $275,000. The contract ran through June 30, 2025, and it set out terms of Liggins’ salary, benefits and other conditions of his employment.

In April 2024, the school board approved a contract addendum that included a wellness package and up to 20 vacation days per fiscal year.

The wellness package says the superintendent shall submit to an annual physical examination of his choice and the district will pay the portion not covered by Liggins’ health insurance in a maximum sum of $5,000.

Under the addendum, the superintendent can, but is not obligated to, obtain the services of an executive coach on such topics as leadership and problem solving not to exceed $25,000 per year. The executive coach will not be an employee of Fayette County Public Schools.

Liggins made $369,142 during the 2023-2024 school year. That figure is Liggins’ total compensation — including pension and health care benefits, school board chair Murphy told the Herald-Leader in August 2024.

Liggins’ base salary in August 2024 was $323,227, Murphy told the Herald-Leader at the time. Davidson Smith said Monday night that his salary changes based on terms of the contract that are approved by the board.

Parents supporting the petition against renewing the contract and members of the school boards’ Equity Council Committee, who support Liggins, were among those who spoke at Monday’s school board meeting.

Rachel Buser, who wrote the petition asking that the contract not be approved, told the school board there was a lack of transparency with the administration.

Equity Council Committee member Danny Anthony Everett told the board Liggins prioritized transparency and aligned expenditures with the district’s goals.

Representatives of several groups in the community and the district praised school board members as part of celebrating school board appreciation month. In addition, several of them thanked or praised Liggins for his work.

Several principals spoke in favor of Liggins. Parents spoke both in favor and against renewing the contract.

Liggins oversees 42,000 students and more than 8,000 employees. Fayette County students continue to outperform students from other school districts, Murphy has said.

“The proof is in the pudding,” Murphy said Monday night.

“The list of successes is long. We’re not just looking back. We’re looking to a future that will be made brighter by the boundless potential and possibility of each and every child who enters our doors,” he said.

This story was originally published January 27, 2025 at 8:51 PM.