LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Fayette County Board of Education has announced the names of the candidates who are hoping to be the next superintendent for Fayette County Public Schools.
#1: Christopher Bernier, Ed.D.
Dr. Bernier currently serves as the chief of staff for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bernier has served as an executive member in the fifth-largest school district in the U.S. since 2019. He drives the student-centered vision for over 310,000 students and 42,000 employees.
Bernier serves as chair of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Committee for Goals and Objectives. He has achieved an over 10 percent increase in graduation rates, revitalized magnet programs, and created unique partnerships for college and career pathways for students.
#2: Melvin Brown, Ed.D.
Dr. Brown has served as the superintendent of Reynoldsburg City schools in Columbus Ohio since 2017. The district oversees 7,300 students in the metropolitan area. Brown worked diligently to address district inequities in high school programming, including Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus enrollment.
In his 22 years of school administrative experience, he has served as a deputy superintendent and director of human resources in Cuyahoga Falls City Schools, regional vice president for an education company, and has several years of service as an elementary and high school principal, a coach, a supervisor of multicultural education, and a teacher.
#3: Ms. Angela Dominguez
Dominguez serves as the assistant superintendent of academic services at Edgewood Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, which serves about 10,000 students. Dominguez has made great strides in providing equitable opportunities for scholars of Edgewood, a high-poverty district.
Accomplishments across her 26-year career include collaboration with external partners (e.g., Texas A&M, Texas Council for International Studies, and others) to create unique learning opportunities for Edgewood students, improved academic accountability from a D grade to a C, selection as a Principal of the Year semi-finalist by a Texas-based corporation, and recognition as the Bilingual Administrator of the Year by a local chapter of bilingual educators.
#4: Tawana Grover, Ph.D.
Dr. Grover serves as the superintendent at Grand Island Public Schools in Grand Island, Nebraska which serves over 10,000 students. Dr. Grover championed equity work within the Grand Island Public School district to accelerate her mission of creating a level playing field for every student and launched the district’s inaugural strategic plan.
Her work led to the development of a district Equity Value Statement, a resolution on eliminating racism that was adopted by the Board of Education, and the formation of a district equity framework. She increased student achievement in 75 percent of “Needs Improvement” schools and increased the number of students scoring 20 or above on the ACT by 5.4 percent within two years.
#5: Demetrus Liggins, Ph.D.
Dr. Liggins serves as the superintendent of the Greenville Independent School District right outside of Dallas, Texas since 2016. The urban district serves 5,000 students. Previously, Liggins has been a bilingual/Spanish classroom teacher; an assistant principal; an elementary, middle, and high school principal; and an area superintendent of schools, in districts with as many as 35,000 students.
Liggins has increased student outcomes at all levels, including minority and economically disadvantaged students’ performance, led the creation of a 5-year strategic plan and graduate profile, and transitioned several traditional schools to schools of choice, which helped improve equity across the district.
Public virtual forums will take place online on Wednesday, May 26, and Thursday, May 27 between 4:30 and 8 p.m. ET. You can watch the community forum online and provide feedback after each forum. The public is encouraged to submit suggested questions in advance.
After the forums, please share your feedback on the candidates with the school board here.
The FCPS board plans to have the new superintendent selected and onsite for the start of the 2021-2022 school year.
