FCPS superintendent’s lawyer says settlement has been reached. School board says otherwise

Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins has agreed in principle to resolve an ongoing conflict by reaching a settlement with the Fayette County Board of Education, Liggins’ attorney Amos Jones announced Friday night.

However, Fayette County school board Chair Tyler Murphy quickly refuted the claim, telling the Herald-Leader no agreement had been reached. Murphy did not comment further.

Any settlement agreement would need to be approved by the Fayette County school board, which does not meet until July 20. The school board could call a special meeting, but would need to give 24 hours of public notice.

Liggins has been on leave since early June, and has repeatedly faced calls to resign over financial issues the district is dealing with. After being placed on leave, Liggins sought reinstatement. He is now dropping that request in exchange for three years of pay, which is the length of the remaining time on his contract.

“Liggins would no longer seek restoration in his position, in exchange for the District’s provision of the economic benefit of his contract, which binds the board through June 30, 2029,” Jones said in a news release about the alleged agreement, which Murphy disputed.

Jones said the exact amount that Liggins would make off the settlement is still to be determined, but he’s generally expected to get $350,000 for each of the three years remaining on his contract. His base salary in 2024-25 was $350,000, according to documents obtained through the Kentucky Open Records Act.

“It’s a fair compromise,” Jones said. “They refused restoration despite the validity of that push. They opposed any dime over 3 years. We had been very close and were rebuffed repeatedly, but it’s time to put the focus back on parents, pupils, faculty, and staff.”

“We can agree with the Board that going ahead and settling this matter for the period remaining on Dr. Liggins’s contract is not some exotic or inflated theory,” Jones said. “It’s ordinary Kentucky contract law. Here, the cleanest business resolution is obvious: If FCPS does not want Dr. Liggins restored, it is only reasonable that they pay the contract. We are encouraged that we were able to find common ground this afternoon, thanks to Chairman’s Murphy’s clarity and leadership.”

Asked about Murphy’s statement denying a settlement had been reached Friday, Jones responded, “it was his idea.”

“But we are bound to respect their drafting process,” Jones said.

If the settlement is agreed upon, Liggins will withdraw his actively-in-process Kentucky Attorney General open-meetings appeal and Kentucky Office of Educational Accountability ethics/whistleblower complaint — both of which are pending in Frankfort — after the signing of the final settlement agreement along with completion of a joint public statement from Dr. Liggins and the Board noting the amicable separation, Jones said.

The Fayette County Board of Education had previously rejected proposals from Liggins that included a demand for payment exceeding the three remaining years of his current contract, school board Chair Tyler Murphy told the Herald-Leader earlier Friday night.

Murphy would not provide the amount Liggins was previously asking for, and did not comment further Friday night aside from saying an agreement actually had not been reached.

“Once again, we want to underscore that our focus remains on our students, ensuring stability throughout the district, and supporting our staff as they prepare for the successful start of a new school year,” Murphy said earlier Friday.

Jones previously told the Herald-Leader that four efforts to reach a settlement with FCPS fell short.

“Dr. Liggins has opened up with an open mind to reach some resolution,“ Jones said at the time. “Despite four overtures, the defense lawyers for the school board continue to communicate what we read as a bizarre desire to have several years of court action — the costliest churn that harms taxpayers.“

The Fayette County Board of Education’s Finance and Accountability Committee, created to restore confidence in the controversy-plagued district, had urged the Fayette County Board of Education Wednesday to move quickly to settle the contentious employment dispute with Liggins.

The district is in the midst of multiple audits and examinations after it announced earlier this year it had discovered its books had been misstated for decades. The district has had to cut more than $20 million from its current-year tentative general fund budget of $711.3 million.

Liggins was placed on paid administrative leave June 10. The district has not said why. A lawyer for Rep. Adrielle Camuel, D-Lexington, who is also an administrative assistant with the district, filed a complaint with the district shortly before Liggins was placed on leave. Camuel received a printed email under her door at work that purported to be from a Louisville law firm warning criticism of Liggins could be considered defamatory.

The Louisville law firm has denied writing the email or ever working with Liggins. A video shows Liggins placing a paper under Camuel’s door. Liggins has said he gave supportive notes to staff but did not write the falsified email or place it under her door.

FCPS has not said if that dispute was the reason for the paid leave.

Liggins been Superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools since 2021, leading Kentucky’s second-largest school district, with approximately 42,000 students, 8,000 employees, and 70 campuses. He was named 2026 Kentucky Superintendent of the Year.

This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 9:52 PM.