‘The ideal leader.’ Fayette County elementary school gets a new principal

A familiar face in Fayette County Public Schools has been named the next principal for Liberty Elementary.

Eric Preece, who has more than 22 years in Fayette County Public Schools, will begin his new job July 1, FCPS announced Wednesday. He has served as assistant principal at Cardinal Valley since 2023.

Liberty Elementary’s current principal, Lisa Kear, is retiring.

Preece’s career in education began in 2004 in Lexington, when he was a special education teacher at Arlington Elementary.

He was in classroom teaching, coaching, and administrative roles in FCPS until 2023, when he joined the administrative team at Cardinal Valley.

“Mr. Preece brings a commitment to fostering a culture where every student is championed and every teacher is empowered to grow,” School Leadership Chief Matt Marsh said in a statement. “His background in instructional coaching, data-driven leadership, and his specialized expertise in Dual Language Immersion and multilingual education make him the ideal leader to build on Liberty’s strong foundation.”