Fayette Schools paid Lexington church, other sites. Here’s what it was used for

Fayette County Public Schools officials on Wednesday acknowledged they had paid rent and furnishings for a Lexington church after questions about the payments were raised during a budget briefing May 21.

During the question and answer session about the district’s proposed preliminary $711 million general fund budget, questions were raised about multiple payments to Consolidated Baptist Church of Lexington. One question from a resident specifically asked:

“Are there any expenses for Consolidated Baptist Church included in the FY27 budget? Consolidated Baptist Church has been directly paid over $46K for rent and administrative expenses over the last few years. In addition to this, over $150K in furnishings and $30K in technology was spent on their behalf for items located at the church. This totals over $225K. Please provide an explanation as to the services provided and if they continue to provide services. Will the furnishings/computers remain at the church, or will they be removed?”

On Tuesday, the district provided further information about its arrangement with the church. In a written statement, the district said the amount spent on furnishing was from COVID-era funding. The majority of the cost for rent was paid for through grant funding.

“Historically, FCPS has partnered with many local churches for an extensive period of time,” FCPS said, adding that there are “no expenses included” for Consolidated Baptist Church in the fiscal year 2027 budget.

Miranda Scully, a spokeswoman for the district, said during the May 21 meeting that Consolidated Baptist Church is a Family Connection Center.

What did FCPS use Consolidated Baptist Church for?

The district said the Consolidated Baptist Church Community Center was shared space for the FCPS Connection Center, which was born through the district’s Strategic Plan. Furniture was purchased through federal COVID money and the cost for rental space was acquired through grant funding that “focused on family learning outside of the classroom.”

FCPS said the money helped provide a lot of services for the FCPS community, including GED classes for parents, ACT/SAT classes for high school students, a “Latino Family Literacy Program,” family service learning and parent/child education classes. The district also used the space for Driving Possibilities activities with Toyota and to have meetings and events.

Scully on Wednesday answered several questions from the Herald-Leader about the district’s relationship with Consolidated Baptist.

The church is one of three Family Connection Centers in Lexington, an initiative of the school district’s strategic plan to engage partners to improve opportunities for students’ families.

Scully said she could not immediately confirm how much money the district had given Consolidated Baptist.

“For all three sites, we have purchased furniture/desks/chairs. Technology costs have included computer lab, Chromebooks and IFP’s (interactive flat panel devices),” Scully told the Herald-Leader.

“We have paid for facility usage, law enforcement and childcare. All of which to accommodate family learning (PreK-adult) and all services at no cost to students or families,” Scully said.

Scully said the district has similar arrangements for connection centers at other sites.

Family Connection Centers allow schools and community to work together to support student learning outside the classroom. It also allowed the opportunity to engage the whole family around student learning through effective family engagement programs, she said.

The Consolidated Baptist family center is the “North” center for the district.

There also is a Family Connect Center East, done in partnership with the Promise Academy of William Wells Brown Elementary, which provides a focus on wellness and arts. FCC East allows families access to the community center and the health clinic as well as adult education opportunities for FCPS families. That center offers various wellness programs as well as GED classes, resume assistance, career building, financial literacy and English as a Second Language classes for FCPS families, Scully said.

The Family Connection Center Main is located at 701 E. Main Street. FCC Main supports linguistically diverse families by providing access to resources and information in multiple languages. FCC Main serves as a bridge between families and the school system, ensuring effective communication and engagement. This includes language support, needs assessments, tutoring, enrollment and orientation, she said.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 2:16 PM.