Fayette County school leader says staff cuts are coming due to finance problems
Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins announced Monday there will be staff cuts and reductions in work hours due to the school district’s financial woes.
In an email to parents on Monday, April 27, Liggins said he will ask for a reduction of hours for staff that have 12-month contracts, which will include both salaried and hourly employees. Those changes in the number of work days will take effect during the 2026-2027 school year. It’s not clear how many hours or how many days those 12-month employees will be asked to cut under the proposal.
Teachers and paraeducators, who work with teachers, will not be affected, Liggins’ email said.
There will also be changes in district-level positions including reductions in force, involuntary transfers and termination of positions.
“This is an ongoing process that will be finalized May 15,” Liggins wrote.
Teaching-level positions at schools will not be affected by the district-level reductions in force and elimination in positions, he said.
The changes will take effect July 1.
The email did not say how many people will be affected by the changes. The email also did not say how much money those changes will save the cash-strapped school district.
In an email to FCPS staff obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader, Liggins expressed remorse that the district’s financial struggles has led to staff reductions.
“I know this news is painful. I know it creates uncertainty, frustration, and fear. And I want you to hear directly from me that I do not take that lightly. These decisions impact real people. Real families. Real livelihoods. They affect individuals who have poured their hearts into this district and the children we serve,” Liggins wrote.
Liggins’ email came less than a week after FCPS confirmed it faces significant budget issues due to financial reporting mistakes and bad practices dating back to 2008. While specific numbers have not been provided to show the extent of the district’s financial distress, interim Chief Financial Officer Kyna Koch is recommending the district get a short-term loan to cover costs.
“Our priority is protecting the classroom so that vibrant learning can thrive and continue to support student success,” Liggins said. “These adjustments to our district level staffing will help ensure that the impact on students is minimized. “
Union calls for Liggins to resign, along with others
Teacher and school staff unions have blasted FCPS leadership, saying FCPS staff should not have to pay for financial misstatements and missteps that date back decades.
Laura Hartke, an organizer with the teacher’s union KY 120 AFT, is calling on board chair Tyler Murphy, vice-chair Amy Green and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins to resign, citing district “incompetence and wastefulness.”
“The entire community has been bringing these issues up for almost two years now and every single person who tried to bring it up was accused of spreading false narratives or treated as if they were too stupid to understand what was happening,” Hartke said in a Facebook post.
She also noted school board members Monica Mundy and Amanda Ferguson were subjected to “horrific treatment” for asking questions about the school district’s finances.
Officials with the Fayette County Education Association, which represents teachers, said they want those who are at fault for FCPS’ current fiscal fiasco to be held accountable but also said the district has more to do to figure out what went wrong, when and who is responsible.
“We want those at fault to be held accountable. We also want to ensure that our school district and our community come out of this with a clear and united vision for FCPS’s fiscal and educational future,” said Erika Pennington, president of the FCEA. “This is not the time to add fuel to the fire with rumors and finger pointing. It is time to tamp down such talk and provide real and meaningful solutions.”
FCPS discovers financial problems dating back to 2008
While announcing the extent of the district’s financial issues last week, Liggins said two FCPS finance employees are on paid leave pending the results of investigations into the district’s budget problems. A third also is on medical leave, Liggins said. District officials declined to identify those employees.
These longstanding finance issues have left the district with a much lower fund balance than previously thought, Koch said last week.
Koch has said revenue projections may also have been overstated. Inaccuracies have been found in record keeping, invoicing, and revenue collection. Deadlines, contract requirements and spending guidelines have not been consistently met, Koch said.
“I do not have confidence in the accuracy of the financial information that’s previously been given to Dr. Liggins, the board of education, and the public,” Koch said Thursday.
FCPS has already undergone multiple audits to address a potential major budget deficit revealed last year, and it is awaiting the results of two more investigations. Liggins has said district finances have been misstated for years, that multiple federal and state requirements may not have been followed, and that accounting procedures may not have been aligned with acceptable practices.
An attorney hired by the Fayette County Board of Education to investigate Liggins’ role in tending to district finances found multiple policy violations by the superintendent, according to a report provided in February. The report found Liggins failed to comply with two policy obligations, as well as board governance, while the district faced a budget crisis.
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 5:29 PM.
