FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Pressure is mounting for leadership changes at Fayette County Public Schools as three Republican lawmakers have released individual letters calling for the resignation of Superintendent Demetrus Liggins and School Board Chairman Tyler Murphy.
Rep. Matt Lockett, Sen. Donald Douglas, and Sen. Chris McDaniel say they're calling for changes after months of controversial fallout over a budget shortfall that has shaken public confidence in the district's leadership.
McDaniel, the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Chairman, wrote in his letter that Fayette County Public Schools receives roughly $274 million each year in state support.
"With that level of investment comes a duty to be open, careful, and accountable. Recent events show the opposite," McDaniel said.
McDaniel emphasized that his calls for resignation are not personal attacks against Liggins and Murphy, but stem from his belief that the budget shortfall fallout has caused the public to lose trust in their leadership.
"What we have seen over the past four or five months is unconscionable for people who sit in those positions," McDaniel told LEX 18 on Tuesday.
When asked if Fayette County Public Schools would be better off if the superintendent resigned, McDaniel responded with a definitive "absolutely."
"Every dollar that is placed in that school district is a dollar that taxpayers had to work for - and instead of being able to spend it on themselves, they spent it on the children. And they count on it for the future and he's abused that trust and he has no business in this position," McDaniel said.
McDaniel pointed to reports of expensive travel expenses by the district's central office, including a costly trip to Australia, as examples of abuse of trust.
The district has defended these out-of-state trips and conferences as professional development opportunities that provide teachers and administrators with valuable instruction and tools to improve student achievement.
In a previous interview with LEX 18 News, Liggins said he makes no apologies for professional development efforts.
"I make no apologies for getting better at my job, learning more about how I can impact students and ensuring that my staff - whether that be teachers, whether that be leaders, principals, custodians, cafeteria, everyone - has that responsibility and that right," Liggins said. "So, I'm very much unapologetic about ensuring that we're getting better. Our kids deserve it. Our community deserves it. And quite frankly, it's what was demanded when I came in as the superintendent."
In response to lawmakers' resignation calls, Liggins issued a statement saying he has publicly agreed that much of the criticism surrounding the budget process has been warranted and has taken responsibility for restoring community trust.
"I have embraced every investigation, examination, and audit, to uncover exactly what has gone wrong, determine how long it has been occurring, and take decisive action to ensure it never happens again," Liggins said.
School Board Chairman Murphy also issued a statement saying he will leave politics to Frankfort and Washington.
"Our students are better served when our energy is focused where it belongs: the incredible gains happening in classrooms across Fayette County because the success of our students is the measure our success as a district," Murphy said.
Covering Kentucky
Liggins, Murphy respond to lawmakers' calls for resignation by FCPS leadership
However, some lawmakers are not accepting those responses. McDaniel says Fayette County taxpayers deserve better leadership.
"There are two things - two sacred trusts that are placed in a public school system. The lesser of those two is their finances. The greater of those two is their children. And if you can't trust someone with the lesser of the two, how do you trust them with the greater?" McDaniel said.
Several Kentucky House Democrats from Fayette County also addressed the loss of confidence with FCPS leadership. In a statement, Rep. Chad Aull, Rep. Adrielle Camuel, Rep. Anne Gay Donworth, Rep. Adam Moore, and Rep. Lindsey Burke said it has become clear that the community no longer trusts the current administration.
"A controversial new tax proposal, conflicting financial reports, questionable spending, and use of eminent domain to take property from homeowners – all of these actions undermine the public trust. We want to be clear: Fayette County families and taxpayers deserve better," their joint statement said.
"FCPS leadership has lost the confidence of the community they are entrusted to serve," the statement went on to say. "We call for an independent forensic audit, which has been met with hesitancy from district administration. We demand transparency from FCPS leadership, in both words and actions. So far, the efforts of the leaders have been inadequate."
Rep. George Brown, a democrat from Lexington, issued his own statement saying he rejects the resignation calls involving FCPS leadership.
"While accountability is important, these calls are premature, politically convenient, and ultimately harmful to the very students and families we are all charged to serve," Brown said.
"Much has also been made of so-called ‘lavish travel.’ Let’s call that what it is -- professional development and national collaboration that ensures Fayette County’s educators are learning from and contributing to the best practices of other districts across the country," Brown added. "If we want our students to compete nationally, we cannot isolate ourselves locally. To characterize these investments in learning and growth as wasteful is misleading at best."
