Fayette school district’s hourly employees, including one who’s a KY lawmaker, fear cuts

Fayette County school hourly employees showed up at a Fayette County Board of Education meeting Thursday to voice fears that they would have their work hours cut.

At a recent school board budget workshop, Jennifer Dyar, district human resources director, said a recommendation to cut hours had been discussed that would save $2 million.

State Rep. Adrielle Camuel, D-Lexington, was among the concerned staff. Camuel told the school board she is also a “classified hourly employee” in Fayette County Public Schools. Camuel is an administrative assistant.

She spoke about a recommendation that has been discussed to cut five work days for hourly employees who work 12 months a year.

Dyar said there was no recommendation to make changes to the work calendar for teachers, paraeducators or counselors. She said the cuts discussed would not affect instructional days or training.

As hourly employees expressed their concerns, district officials said at Thursday’s meeting there was no final recommendation.

Superintendent Demetrus Liggins in a Thursday email told employees no final decision has been made yet.

“To be clear, no final decisions have been made, and no recommendations regarding the 2026-2027 FCPS budget, including work calendars or any related matters, have been finalized or presented to the Board of Education at this time,” Liggins said. “Nor will any such recommendations be made at this evening’s board meeting.

“Any information suggesting otherwise is inaccurate. As previously communicated, if any considerations arise that would directly impact you personally or professionally, you will receive official communication directly from the district.”

Liggins said at the earlier budget workshop that employees typically took off some of the days that were under discussion to cut, including work days around scheduled breaks.

Camuel said that hourly classified employees’ pay already had been cut in the past. Camuel called the recent discussions about cuts “a mistake and a travesty.”

“The fears are real,” Camuel said.

School librarians, who would be affected by the cuts, shared similar comments at Thursday’s school board meeting.

KY 120 United AFT, a Kentucky teachers’ union, shared support for the hourly employees.

“We expect the district to consider all options before cutting calendar days from rank and file staff,” Nema Brewer, a founding member of the union, told the Herald-Leader Thursday night. “We strongly believe that the burden of carrying a shortfall shouldn’t rest entirely on the shoulders of the lowest paid employees.”

Brewer said classified hourly employees include administrative assistants, operations staff, cafeteria workers and custodians. It’s unclear how many in FCPS would be affected by the proposal.

Financial problems in the district have been in the spotlight for about a year, though Liggins has recently said that a previously projected budget deficit has been resolved and the budget is balanced.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 9:44 PM.