Fayette school board candidate forum marred by misleading statements by candidates | Opinion
As a community, we take seriously our democracy and our right to vote, and we understand the significance of every election.
During the school board candidate forum held at Consolidated Baptist Church, we discovered that even a school board race can be mired with dishonesty and deception, and for this reason fact-checking has become a part of debates.
We hoped this forum would afford residents of Fayette County the opportunity to hear how school board candidates will work to ensure all our students achieve at high levels. On the contrary, to our dismay, a couple candidates used this forum as an opportunity to make statements that were either untrue or not given in context, and we feel compelled to address them.
At the onset, when asked what role the school board should play in closing achievement gaps, candidate Betsy Rutherford talked about recent test scores and the lack of growth for elementary students. What was not mentioned was the 3rd grade elementary students who were tested last year entered kindergarten in August 2020, and these students learned virtually that year. Additionally, it was not noted that, despite these challenges, FCPS continues to outperform state averages at every level.
Rutherford also stated she has 32 years of experience and served as principal at Russell Cave Elementary for 10 years. She specifically mentioned she would ensure our students are proficient and distinguished in reading and math. However, during her tenure as principal, the Herald-Leader reported in 2014 that Russell Cave Elementary was among the bottom 10 schools in reading with less than 24% of students scoring proficient or distinguished on the statewide achievement test.
When the candidates were asked about holding the superintendent accountable for the district’s progress without micromanaging day-to-day operations, candidate Monica Mundy stated the superintendent’s most recent evaluation was “one cover letter, all praise, five check boxes.” In actuality, the 2022-2023 annual evaluation was a one-page document that included areas of strength and areas for growth, and it was accompanied by a written statement from Chair Murphy summarizing the evaluation. The 2023-2024 evaluation was a two-page document. Page 1 contained the actual evaluation Dr. Liggins received across “seven” standards. Page 2 listed the overall summary and included his successes and areas where he needs to continue to develop.
Additionally, she further stated “we didn’t get that strategic plan for about the first year and a half”. That is simply untrue. Dr. Liggins began serving as the FCPS superintendent in July 2021, and ten months later, after engaging more than 20,000 stakeholders, the strategic plan, “A New Way Forward,” was approved by the Board of Education on May 23, 2022. Subsequently, staff presentations to the Board indicate which priorities their work aligns with.
Everything is not perfect at Fayette County Public Schools or in Lexington for that matter. Nevertheless, we are making progress in areas that matter, student achievement and student opportunities, and the data supports that.
It is disappointing that candidates for the school board would elect to misstate or misrepresent the facts. Instead of intentionally seeking to cause discord with misinformation, we would hope our school board members would be committed to working together for the good of our students and that includes working collaboratively with our superintendent.
We believe in the First Amendment and that everyone has a right to his/her opinion. Likewise, we believe it is important to communicate and share the facts, so people can make decisions based on those facts and not on someone’s opinion.
Despite the misrepresentations that we observed during the forum, we are hopeful that the residents of Fayette County better understand the role of the collective school board and what is at stake. Since 2000, FCPS has been led by six superintendents and four interim superintendents. Our superintendent, his leadership team, and the school board have identified “A New Way Forward”, and the District is beginning to experience gains. We cannot allow people with alternative facts and political agendas to disrupt the work. 42,000 children are counting on us.
Rev. Richard Gaines has served as the senior pastor at Consolidated Baptist Church for the past 28 years.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 11:20 AM.