FAYETTE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Passion was fueled during a Fayette County Public Schools board meeting Tuesday night as members voted to approve a tax increase that is set to begin in January 2026.
"Emotions are extremely high in there," said Rachel Buser, a mother of three Fayette County Public School students. "This means a lot, to a lot of people."
Buser discovered on Friday that her children's school district was proposing to raise taxes for next year to address the expected deficit.
"It is pretty hypocritical to think that, you know, the school district is in a financial shortfall," Buser said. "So therefore we're going to lean on taxpayers who may be struggling right out of the gate anyway, when how much of a shortfall are we actually at?"
Even board members, who voted 3-2 on the tax increase, were divided on the issue.
"I feel like I can't do my job I was elected to do," said Board Member Dr. Monica Mundy, who claimed the proposal came as a surprise to her.
She said she only knew about it because a community organization informed her, while some of her colleagues maintained the plan had been in development for months.
"In the end looking at us as a board and saying 'Oh well this is our only option.' Well, this option could've came in February. We could've had public hearing, we could've had public forums, we could've had public input," Mundy said.
Buser agreed with Mundy's concerns about transparency.
"Member Mundy hit the nail on the head in some of her comments, talking about how, you know she needs to have trust in the administration, and how can she feel like she can have that trust when she was not notified about this until Friday," Buser said.
Despite objections, the board approved FCPS's over $848 million proposed budget, including the tax increase. According to the school district, this would cost residents an average of $13 more per month.
"Goes back to the trust. It goes back to the real concerns about the way our dollars are actually being spent," Buser said.
While parents and some board members feel their voices weren't heard, they hope for more accountability from school leadership in the future.
"And I believe we have a lot of really, really great and talented people here, but sometimes you just need to have a little bit of checks and balances," Buser said.
Under state law, the resolution must be processed by the Fayette Fiscal Court within 10 days of the board passing the resolution.
