Fayette superintendent reaping a harvest of silence, secrecy | Opinion
The latest Fayette County schools kerfuffle over school board training exhibits all that we’ve come to expect: A little ineptitude, some misinformation, personal jibes and petty politics all around. “Hey, let’s argue about a contract that doesn’t exist! We’re not even sure how much it costs!”
It’s yet another symptom of the district’s greatest malady: Selfinflictedwounditis, a disease where leaders create more and bigger problems because they are secretive, paranoid and distrustful of their own board members and the general public at large.
That’s the only way to explain the fact they tried to sneak a new payroll tax onto the school board agenda without even telling two board members, Amanda Ferguson and Monica Mundy. That little plan blew up, resulting in a humiliating censure from Kentucky’s attorney general, a special investigation by the state auditor and new levels of distrust from the public.
It’s why people around here were more than a little flabbergasted when the Kentucky Association of School Administrators named Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins as Superintendent of the Year.
On paper, he has accomplished some impressive things: Rising graduation rates, no schools on the state watch list, more students taking college classes, improvements in ESL students, higher teacher salaries and new buildings.
He is to be commended for that work. It’s why three board members gave him a glowing evaluation, and why he will no doubt get the raise guaranteed to him through his contract.
But the rest of the time, Liggins, along with board chair Tyler Murphy, see the public, the press and anyone who disagrees with them as big problems.
And none of it is necessary.
Yes, Dr. Liggins, Ferguson is a contrarian who asks tough questions. But she’s elected by the people to be your boss, so stop making her fill out open records requests to get information. Same for Monica Mundy.
DISAGREEMENT IS NOT THE SAME THING AS DISLOYALTY. Reticence only convinces people you have something to hide.
I’ve covered boards for a long, long time, school boards, university boards and nonprofits. The thing they always want is unanimous, complete agreement, which is stupid. About a decade ago, UK even started holding secret briefings before their board meetings in order to make sure everyone was on the same page.
But it’s good to argue; it’s good to have different points of view. And if you’re the person in charge, it’s bad to punish the people who do just that.
Why are district leaders still pushing payroll tax?
But the consequences of constant secrecy are coming clear, especially with the district’s finances.
The payroll tax debacle started because of a hitherto unknown shortfall of $16 million. District officials figured a new tax would be a good way to deal with the shortfall, plus the uncertainty of federal budget cuts, rising building and fuel costs and general inflation.
But that backfiring forced the district to convene a budget task force that would use a public group to figure out more ways to raise revenue and close gaps. It was a useful exercise because it forced the district to share information and answer questions in a way it rarely does.
However, district officials made it clear they still thought the payroll tax was the best answer.
The district stacked the group, not with too many regular folks, but with a lot of muckety-mucks: the CFO of Keeneland, the second-in-command at the University of Kentucky, the head of the Community Action Council, Commerce Lexington members, etc.
Surprise, surprise, they did not endorse the payroll tax either, because as a group said in an op-ed column published Wednesday, there are other ways to address the shortfall in a community where rising property values have raised the property taxes that pay for schools year after year.
A lot of people are fed up.
They see too many travel expenses, team-building exercises and other extras that don’t go into teaching our children. They want more information about how tax dollars are being spent, and they don’t want it filtered through who is currently in favor or disfavor with the powers that be.
These are solvable problems. As I have said many times before, this community is very supportive of our public schools. They want them to succeed. All leaders have to do is explain more — to board members, to parents, to the public — and plot less.
Everyone will thank you.
This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 12:35 PM.
