Fayette schools lost grant for homeless students because of ‘vague’ application

Fayette County Public Schools lost a federal grant of more than $170,000 to help provide busing and other services to homeless students because its application was “vague” and “incomplete,” according to documents reviewed by the Herald-Leader.

Despite receiving the grant for the past three years, Fayette County’s application ranked 20th out of 24 Kentucky school districts that applied for the McKinney-Vento grant last year, according to documents obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act.

The loss of the grant, which totaled $176,897 last school year, comes as advocates have launched a campaign to stop potential plans to cut staff who work with about 1,000 homeless students in the district.

Among comments made by those scoring the grant applications, Fayette County’s “policies and procedures are described, but strategies to ensure that homeless students are not isolated or stigmatized are not explained. Also, specific activities ensuring the schools are open and welcoming are not detailed — only that they will be included.”

One chart in the application was incomplete, according to the comments, and “most of the activities deal with older students, and there does not seem to be much programming for the elementary students, even though over half of the identified homeless students fall within that age level.”

“The applicant addresses housing, transportation, and child care needs. It does not address physical welfare and enrollment,” one comment said. “Gaps in academic success are noted in high school students, whereas younger students are only targeted for summer enrichment.”

One part of the application was described as “very vague” with “no specific information about who, how, and when the desired outcomes will be achieved.”

One section, the comments said, lacked details about the academic success of homeless students.

An application from Campbell County, in Northern Kentucky, received top marks with a score of 126.33. Perry County scored the lowest at 68.67. Fayette County scored 99.67.

Districts that received the grant in 2024 included Bath, Campbell, Covington Independent, Dayton Independent, Jefferson, Jessamine, Newport Independent, Paducah Independent, Spencer, and Whitley.

FCPS says it will continue to support homeless students

Homeless advocates in Fayette County are concerned that the district will slash its homeless services staff by two-thirds, according to a news release from a group that includes Ginny Ramsey, the director of the Catholic Action Center.

At a school board planning meeting last week, advocate Meg Haist asked the district not to eliminate two positions that provide students with school supplies, arrange transportation, allocate supplies for food, provide clothing and laundry, set up tutoring and interact with state and federal agencies.

Haist told school board members it was important for people who partner with the school district to have a point of contact at Fayette County Public Schools.

Fayette district officials have not confirmed that there have been cuts to staff who oversee the district’s homeless education services.

Dedeeh Newbern, District Chief Student Support Services Officer, acknowledged that the district did not receive the homeless services grant.

Newbern said the school district had created community partnerships with groups like the Catholic Action Center

During the school board meeting last Thursday, Newbern assured school board members that even without the grant, “The services will continue. The support will continue.”

Newbern said having not received a grant in 2024, the district had to reallocate how the services occur this year.

District staff receive cross-training so they can continue the work, Newbern said.

“There has been a lot of misinformation out there saying we are no longer supporting McKinney-Vento kids,” Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said. “We took care of those kids well before we received that grant, and we are going to continue to take care of them now,” Liggins said.

He said those students “were not being forgotten or tossed out.”

District spokesperson Dia Davidson-Smith said, “FCPS will continue to apply for grants that will support this program.”

What defines a homeless student

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

It included children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals.

This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.