Fayette County school board chair has another opponent in next election

A Lexington woman, Kathy Schiflett, on Monday filed to run against embattled Fayette County Board of Education chair Tyler Murphy for the District 2 seat on the board, according to Fayette County Clerk election records.

Schiflett worked 23 years for the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts before retiring in 2021, according to a news release announcing her candidacy. She said her work involved research, consulting, evaluation analysis, grant writing, program supervision and training, and she focused on supporting Kentucky’s youth.

“I have decided to run for School Board, because like many Fayette County residents, I am deeply concerned about the management of Fayette County Public Schools,” Schiflett said in a news release Monday. “I believe wholeheartedly that together, through direct, clear, and honest back-and-forth exchanges, our School Board can make tough budgetary and operational decisions so that all of our public-school students can and will shine.”

R.J. Hijalda, a 29-year-old swim coach and a lead at Grounded All Day Cafe in Lexington, has also filed for the seat currently held by Murphy. Murphy’s current term ends this year, but he has filed for reelection.

The filing deadline is June 2. Two of five seats on the district’s governing board will be up for election Nov. 3. The District 4 seat, held by Amanda Ferguson, will also appear on the November ballot. Fayette County Board of Education terms last four years.

Murphy filed for reelection April 14 at Fayette County Clerk Susan Lamb’s office, which oversees election candidate filings. Hours later, the General Assembly passed a new law that makes Murphy ineligible from holding school board office again because he is a teacher in another Kentucky school district — Boyle County.

However, Lamb has said that because Murphy filed to run before the law was passed and the process to file was not any different, she can’t remove him from the ballot. Someone would have to file a lawsuit to have Murphy removed from the race, Lamb told the Herald-Leader.

There is also a current petition under consideration by state lawmakers to remove Murphy from office as a result of his handling of the district’s budget problems, for which he has repeatedly come under fire.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 3:34 PM.