Fayette Co. schools travel spending questioned by board members and citizens

Tension over travel spending for Fayette County Public Schools officials nearly led the school board to reject some expenses for district employees at a recent board meeting.

At the school board’s June 23 meeting, members Amanda Ferguson and Monica Mundy initially voted no on a handful of professional development expenses, essentially canceling trips to several upcoming conferences and drawing sharp comments from Superintendent Demetrus Liggins.

“Just so everyone is aware, this two-two vote has created significant barriers to student success,” Liggins said. “By not allowing this, there are multiple teachers, there are curriculum coaches, some campus leaders who will be unable to receive the training necessary to effectively support their students and carry out some priorities that the board has identified as important. So, just wanted to go on record and let you all know that.”

Mundy eventually relented, changing her vote after being assured that board members would get more details about future proposed trips before being asked to approve them.

The unusual near-rejection of travel expenses came as the district faces intense scrutiny of spending decisions. Some community members have sharply criticized the district, especially over travel expenses, and Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball said this month she would examine the district after it sought a tax increase to cover a $16 million budget shortfall.

The board ultimately approved the professional leave report, which included $16,570 from the general fund for staff to attend conferences in Orlando, Chicago, Louisville, Columbus, Ohio, and Hilton Head, South Carolina.

In an email to the Herald-Leader Saturday, Mundy said, “I ultimately voted yes, since I was told we had to vote on the report as a whole. Also, to ensure that teachers and staff who work directly with our students could attend the professional development opportunities in a timely manner.”

Mundy said her questions during the meeting focused specifically on the use of the general fund.

The school board must approve overnight travel expenses. Other proposed trips in the report approved last week were paid for by grants and other sources outside the general fund.

Spending from the general fund for professional leave has decreased significantly — from $11.2 million in 2023–24 to just over $1 million in 2024–25 — making it even more critical that every dollar supports student success, she said.

Mundy said one of the school board’s core responsibilities is to hold the system accountable. That includes regularly reviewing reports, asking questions, and ensuring decisions lead to meaningful outcomes.

“When I vote in support of professional leave, I want to be confident that the knowledge gained from each trip will make an impact at the school level — where students feel it most. Unfortunately, the current report does not provide enough consistent clarity to make that connection,” she said.

Mundy requested a more detailed breakdown in professional leave reports, including how travel aligns with the district and school improvement plans, whether staff members are speaking at the conferences, and how the experience will benefit students.

Australia trip

Andrew Cooperrider, a conservative radio, TV, and podcast host in Lexington, is among the sharpest critics of the district’s travel expenses.

In a pair of Facebook posts on June 16 and June 19, he highlighted a trip Liggins and two other staff members took to Australia in 2022.

Cooperrider posted a purchase order showing Liggins had been reimbursed $6,491 for a plane ticket and flight insurance.

“In what world does an American school superintendent plus two others need to travel to Australia for work?’’ Cooperrider said in a message last week to the Herald-Leader. “The claim that it is needed in order to learn about what other schools are doing falls flat on its face when there are schools right here in Kentucky that have higher reading and mathematics proficiency scores. If you want to see what other schools are doing in order to improve your district’s educational outcomes, you should start with those that are doing better right in your own backyard.

“At a time when FCPS is concerned about a budget shortfall, these kinds of expenses need to be done away with before any conversation of a tax increase needs to take place,” Cooperrider said.

FCPS spokesperson Dia Davidson-Smith said the trip was “part of Global Cities Education Network, a partnership between Fayette County Public Schools and Commerce Lexington, which holds the district’s membership in the network.”

“This collaboration reflects FCPS’s and Lexington’s business community’s commitment to ensuring FCPS students receive a world-class education and have a competitive global advantage.

She said the Melbourne experience focused on three key areas:

▪ Future-Ready Students: Delegates examined how Victoria and other GCEN member cities are redesigning secondary education to equip students with 21st-century skills and global competencies. Discussions centered on successful strategies, ongoing challenges, and the broader question: How can we ensure all students are prepared to thrive in a complex and rapidly changing world?

▪ Future-Ready Leaders: Participants explored what effective leadership looks like across different contexts, from students to school and system leaders. The group studied Victoria’s approach to leadership development and shared models and strategies from their own systems.

▪ Future Ready Systems: Focus on creating education systems that are adaptable, future-oriented, and driven by continuous improvement. Delegates analyzed Victoria’s approach to scaling innovation and building systemwide capacity, while also sharing emerging models from other GCEN cities—including improvement science initiatives developed within GCEN working groups.

Liggins, the superintendent, defended the district’s spending on that trip.

“The efforts are making a measurable impact in Fayette County Public Schools,” Liggins said. “We are seeing historic student achievement, record-breaking scholarship offers for our graduates, and rising graduation rates across the district. As part of our active engagement in the network, Lexington was proud to host a GCEN delegation locally in 2023, showcasing the collaborative work underway in our schools and community.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 10:02 AM.