What’s the latest on the FCPS superintendent situation? Catch up here

Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday night after a chaotic 48 hours in which he and the school board sent conflicting messages about whether he was resigning.

What resulted was Liggins being placed on leave and the Fayette County Board of Education appointing Assistant Superintendent Bill Bradford as acting superintendent. The board also hired a law firm to review Liggins’ employment.

Need to catch up? Here’s what to know:

• The Fayette County Board of Education unanimously voted to place Liggins on paid administrative leave after meeting behind closed doors for more than 2 1/2 hours Wednesday night.
• Confusion erupted Tuesday when the board announced it had received a resignation notice from Liggins, but Liggins publicly denied resigning, saying he had only requested discussions about a potential separation agreement.
• An email exchange released by the district shows Liggins told board chair Tyler Murphy on June 9 that “it is time for me to step away,” then tried to withdraw the request more than 12 hours later, asking the board to cancel its special meeting.
• In his initial email, Liggins requested one year of continued compensation and benefits through June 30, 2027, in exchange for voluntarily giving up the final three years of his contract.
• Board chair Tyler Murphy said the board is not entertaining any separation package and has hired VanAntwerp Attorneys to review Liggins’ employment.
• Bill Bradford, who has 23 years of education experience and began his career as a Spanish teacher at Lafayette High School, will serve as acting superintendent immediately.
• Liggins’ four-year contract, approved in January 2025, expires June 30, 2029, and is silent on payout terms if he leaves early, according to documents on the district’s website.
• The district has been in financial turmoil after revealing its books had been misstated for nearly two decades, with officials overestimating taxes by more than $8 million in fiscal year 2025. Ongoing financial strife has been prevalent for more than a year — before discovering finances has been misstated, the district also was dealing with a budget deficit of more than $15 million.
• To address the budget shortfall, FCPS cut 120 positions, reduced staff work days and is seeking a short-term loan to cover summer payroll, while State Auditor Allison Ball conducts a special examination of district finances.

The summary points above are based on the reporting of Herald-Leader journalists. The roundup was produced with the assistance of AI. Herald-Leader reporters and an editor reviewed this story for accuracy. You can read more about our AI policy here.