GOP lawmaker files petition to remove Fayette County school board chair

A Kentucky Republican lawmaker has filed a petition to have Fayette County school board chair Tyler Murphy removed from office.

Rep. Matt Lockett’s Jan. 30 petition, in part, says Murphy failed to provide adequate oversight of FCPS finances in violation of state law.

Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly have criticized Fayette County School officials, including Murphy and Superintendent Demetrus Liggins, for their handling of FCPS’ budget problems.

Murphy in a Friday evening response said the petition lacks merit “and is sadly the latest of recent politically motivated attacks.”

Lockett, in a Facebook post Friday, said he filed a petition “based on serious concerns I have about Mr. Murphy’s financial mismanagement, failure to provide appropriate oversight in fiscal matters, and failure to follow public notice laws prior to increasing taxes.”

Lockett said the chair “holds a critical responsibility to ensure lawful conduct, sound stewardship of taxpayer resources, and the transparency that students, families, and educators expect.”

“The petition I filed today seeks accountability and a thorough examination of conduct that has undermined public trust in the Fayette County Public Schools,” he wrote. “It should come as no surprise as I have publicly called for Mr. Murphy’s resignation. The students and families of FCPS deserve better. This situation is a disservice to them and a distraction to the work of our teachers and staff.”

Lockett said the statement would be his only public comment on the removal petition until it has been resolved.

Laura Leigh Goins, spokesperson for the House GOP, said Kentucky law provides two mechanisms for addressing official misconduct: a petition for impeachment, and a petition for removal by address. They are different in name, but both types must be referred to a committee for review.

Impeachment petitions have also been filed this legislative session, including against Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Pamela Goodwine and Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman.

Lockett, in his petition for removal, asks the House of Representatives to begin proceedings to remove Murphy.

“Removal from office is warranted because Mr. Murphy breached the public trust and engaged in a variety of inappropriate acts, any one of which constitutes a misdemeanor” under the state constitution, said the petition from Lockett, who is from Nicholasville and represents part of Fayette County.

“Any one of these actions alone qualifies as misdemeanor in office under the Kentucky Constitution. When taken together, the result is clear: Tyler Murphy must be removed from office. I respectfully request the House of Representatives begin proceedings to do so,” Lockett’s petition said.

The petition for removal includes numerous allegations and reasons why Lockett believes Murphy has committed impeachable offenses including:

• Murphy failed to provide adequate oversight of Liggins’ expenses.
• For a period of several months in early 2025, Murphy knew about a $16 million budget deficit and failed to inform some of his fellow members of the school board. (The deficit was projected and has been resolved, Liggins has said.)
• In May 2025, Murphy voted to certify a multi-million dollar increase in the occupational and licensing taxes that are imposed on Fayette County residents’ incomes without complying with the statutory notice requirements.
• Murphy caused or allowed FCPS to enter into a lobbying contract for the purpose of supporting a multi-million dollar increase in the occupational and licensing taxes already imposed on Fayette County residents’ incomes without first informing some of his fellow school board members.
• Murphy voted and encouraged other members of the board to vote to hire a Texas-based audit firm to review FCPS’ financial records even though Auditor Allison Ball already announced her office would conduct a similar review.
• Murphy was responsible for a failed policy proposal that would prohibit a member who voted against an adopted measure from speaking with reporters about that measure. (It was unclear from public meetings who proposed the measure.)
• Murphy failed to inform his fellow members of the Fayette County Board Education and members of the public about FCPS’s perilous financial situation, in violation of his duties.
• Murphy allowed or approved of a massive increase in spending on non-teaching activities in recent years.

Murphy responds

“I am a career classroom educator who’s been elected by our local community to prioritize the needs of Fayette County’s students,” Murphy said. “ Every decision I’ve made as a school board member has put the needs and interests of students first. “ Murphy said no board chair acts in isolation and no policy or financial decision is the result of one individual. In every deliberation, board members take into account the diverse voices of the community they serve, “ensuring that the needs of our students remain the heartbeat of our work.”

“The effectiveness of our board’s collective decision making is proven by the historic academic gains our district continues to celebrate,” Murphy said.

The evidence shows that Fayette County Public Schools should be viewed as a model for student-centered progress, Murphy said.

Murphy said FCPS outperformed the state average in every subject at every level, graduation rates have reached a 10-year-high, and for the second year in a row no schools in FCPS were identified for low achievement among Black students or economically disadvantaged students. “Reasonable people can disagree about policy and priorities—and that debate in a democracy is both healthy and necessary,” Murphy said. “I’ve offered to meet with the representative behind this petition on multiple occasions to discuss education priorities and have been met with silence.

“I will be visiting Frankfort soon and would be happy to meet with him and any legislator while I’m there. This is the very type of dialogue our constituents expect and deserve from their elected officials. “

The Fayette County Education Association criticized Lockett’s action.

“Democracy and the education of our students should not be placed at risk by political stunts that serve no constructive purpose,” a group statement said.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect the type of petition Matt Lockett filed against Tyler Murphy. It is a petition for removal, not an impeachment petition.

This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM.