Fireworks possible at Monday’s FCPS meeting: ‘We will not tolerate being lied to’

Fayette County parent Rachel Buser is among those encouraging people to show up at Monday evening’s school board meeting to weigh-in on the superintendent’s handling of the district’s budget crisis.

“Tonight’s meeting is a crucial opportunity for FCPS parents and stakeholders to show Dr. (Demetrus) Liggins, members of the administration and board that we will not tolerate being lied to and taken advantage of,“ Buser told the Herald Leader Monday morning.

“A discrepancy of millions and millions of dollars can’t be ignored. Shutting out board members for asking questions is no way to conduct business.“

Buser is touting the importance of Monday’s meeting on Facebook, asking, “Who’s going to show up at Monday’s meeting to speak?”

The calls for public advocacy comes after Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said the district’s contingency fund was significantly smaller than originally expected. It was estimated to be about $42 million, but may be as low as $15 million to $22 million.

In January, Buser wrote a petition that got about 1,500 signatures asking school board members not to renew Liggins’ contract. The petition was unsuccessful as the school board renewed his contract.

The district’s five elected school board members, who are Liggins’ boss, have refused to say if any actions will be taken tonight.

A member of the Facebook group Fayette County Kids Matter posted anonymously Monday saying “retaliation is real.”

“If you care about FCPS, PLEASE come to the board meeting tonight… advocate for real transparency…accountability is nonexistent,” the post said.

Will there be fireworks at the board meeting Monday?

“I expect a lot of people who are tired of the same old excuses that this situation was because of forces outside of the administration’s control, to show up and make their voices heard,” Buser said.

The district faces a $16 million budget deficit, and Liggins has said cuts are coming.

In late May, the district sought to increase the occupational license tax rate in Fayette County in a move the Kentucky attorney general described in June as unlawful. The cash-strapped district is also facing a special examination by Kentucky’s state auditor.

The fallout from the district’s worsening financial situation is widening.

Last week, for instance, a California technology solutions company filed a lawsuit against the district saying FCPS won’t pay them $500,000.

Also, a nonprofit foundation that supports FCPS has canceled a reception to honor Liggins Monday for being named Kentucky Superintendent of the Year so district leaders “can focus on the work before the board (Monday) evening.”

Liggins also has pleaded for time to fix the district’s finances while promising to work harder to get a better handle on the simmering situation.

“In the past, we have failed to communicate budget and finance information in real time, and I have publicly pledged to do better going forward,” Liggins said Friday. “Inflation and budget crisis are happening to school districts across the nation and right here in Kentucky.”

Liggins also has promised an internal review and cost-cutting measures.

Critics said they’re searching for more answers from the superintendent.

How could the contingency fund go from having “not been touched” to short $27 million in a matter of weeks?,” Buser told the Herald-Leader.

“They can try to use semantics to confuse people or blame external forces, but at the end of the day, if they truly had no idea the contingency fund was short to this degree, I’d say they aren’t competent to do their jobs. “

“It’s also extremely disappointing that despite requests to remove travel expenses from tonight’s agenda, Dr. Liggins told the board that he would not do that,” Buser said.

“I would really like to encourage anyone who is concerned about what we’re seeing happen, come to the meeting,” she said.

What will the school board discuss?

School board chairman Tyler Murphy previously told the Herald-Leader that board members tonight will discuss the contingency fund.

The meeting agenda shows board members are to discuss the Budget Solutions Work Group that met this summer. That is a task force primarily of leaders from Lexington’s business community and the University of Kentucky who are offering guidance on the district’s financial direction.

Earlier this summer, that group recommended taking money from the contingency fund. It was that recommendation that triggered Liggins’ revelation the contingency fund’s balance is millions lower than previously thought.

The least popular recommendation was to increase the occupational license tax, which officials from Keeneland, the University of Kentucky and Commerce Lex soundly rejected.

“We can’t tax our way out of this process. The reality is that the budget is structurally imbalanced,” representatives from the University of Kentucky and Commerce Lexington wrote in a July 30 op-ed column submitted to the Herald-Leader.

“Bringing balance to the revenues and expenses is the only way to achieve long-term stability and sustainability.“

The school board is expected at Monday’s meeting to discuss, but not vote on, its property tax rate, school board chairman Tyler Murphy has said.

According to board agenda minutes released over the weekend, the district is recommending a decrease of approximately 1.1 cent per $100 of assessed property values. That would be a decrease of approximately 80 cents per $100 of assessed value to 79.8 cents per $100 of value.

The agenda shows the school board also will be asked to approve $28,187 in trips for school staff, paid from the budget’s general fund.

In all, the district will be asked Monday to approve $46,747 in professional development travel expenses. In addition to the $28,187 from the general fund, there are $13,033 from grants, $5,353 from third-party sources and $174 from school funds.

The request to approve travel comes just days after Liggins, citing a “crisis point” in the budget, said the district would adopt several cost-cutting measures, including limiting employee travel funded by the general fund to only mandatory trips.

Liggins’ total salary, pension and benefits for the 2024-25 school year was $381,767. That includes a raise of $12,625 (up 3%) over the previous year, which is contractually mandated, reflecting an annual percentage increase and a step-up for experience that is standard for eligible district employees.

His compensation trails only Jefferson County’s previous and current superintendents, who earned or is earning more.

Here’s how to watch the FCPS school board meeting

Time and location: Monday at 6 p.m. at 450 Park Place

Agenda: https://portal.ksba.org/public/Meeting.aspx?PublicAgencyID=57&PublicMeetingID=51346&AgencyTypeID=

Public comment: If you’d like to speak, arrive and sign up before 6 PM. Details available here: https://www.fcps.net/.../board-of-education/public-comment

Link to Live Stream/Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/bZtF0sgsZ9c?si=aOQDnwpTWVe3FxOn

Watch it on Spectrum Cable Television, which carries a Fayette County School Channel on Channel 197.

This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM.