Superintendent Liggins needs to be held accountable, not lose his job | Opinion
I have plenty of criticisms of Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins, particularly from our vantage point at the Herald-Leader.
He’s thin-skinned and quick to take offense. He blames the journalists who report on him rather than the message that makes the public mad. He is willfully opaque, for example, refusing to let reporters talk to principals and budget experts who could help them better understand the inner workings of the school district.
He even refuses some information to board members who request it.
There are numerous questions about a bloated administration and too much money spent on travel and other extraneous matters. I’ve been told numerous times Liggins has created an atmosphere of fear and retaliation for any employee who goes public with concerns.
But where it counts most, he’s getting the job done.
Graduation rates are up. Test scores are showing steady progress, especially in the middle and high schools that have struggled the most. New schools are being built all over the district, including a state of the art vocational center on Midland Avenue that will properly train our kids for future jobs.
So, I’m concerned that there is a petition circulating to not renew his contract at their Jan. 27 meeting. Especially because most of the criticism is aimed at the recent school shutdown during Winter Storm Blair.
Admittedly, students were out for too long, but the city bears an equal amount of blame. Both Liggins and Mayor Linda Gorton have pledged to do better.
The Fayette school board’s job is to hold the superintendent accountable and make sure our tax dollars are well spent. If they are concerned about his performance, then extend his contract for one year instead of four, with a lengthy checklist of expectations.
That would allow two new school board members to get acclimated so they can better judge Liggins’ performance. Both Monica Mundy and Penny Christian ran on better transparency and accountability; that’s why the Herald-Leader endorsed them. Most of the previous school board members were too apt to act like rubber stamps.
It appears from recent test score data that our public schools have some positive momentum. The last thing this community needs is a long and contentious dismissal followed by an even longer and contentious search for a new leader.
Bob Quick of Commerce Lex has been involved in previous superintendent searches, and says in terms of the larger community, including economic development, losing Liggins would be a disaster.
“If we have a reputation for having a constant turnover, good candidates won’t be interested, and we’ve seen that happen,” he said.
Our school district faces serious issues under the incoming Trump administration. We don’t know if the
crucial safety nets that help our kids, like school lunch benefits, will be cut; we don’t know if our schools will have to face ICE raids.
The state school funding system is facing a $40 million shortfall. Many of our students are still underperforming. Teachers are struggling with a statewide teacher shortage and low public confidence.
I still have plenty of questions for Dr. Liggins, and I hope the school board will, too. We all need to hold him accountable.
But dueling petitions and in-fighting is a distraction from bigger issues. Let’s do all we can to keep our eyes on the prize of educating our children.
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 12:00 AM.
