Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins filed a whistleblower complaint Thursday with the state, alleging the district’s school board retaliated against him when it placed him on paid leave earlier this month.
In a press release, Amos Jones Attorneys says Liggins filed the complaint with the Kentucky Office of Education Accountability after the Fayette County Board of Education moved Liggins to paid leave after he allegedly provided the board with documentation of mismanaged finances.
"Therefore we are going to the state authorities for all sorts of referrals to correct and to enforce the law, and to protect the public interest in all of this money, fraud, waste and abuse that Dr. Liggins had internally reported to officials," Amos Jones told WEKU.
The district has been grappling with financial troubles since the discovery of a $16 million budget shortfall last year. Since then, FCPS has used its contingency fund to cover bills and payroll, took out a loan for next year’s budget, laid off more than 100 employees and has said there is evidence of nearly two decades of financial mismanagement.
Last week, Liggins filed an open meeting violation complaint against the school board over its special-called meeting June 10. The meeting was a 2.5-hour closed session which resulted in Liggins being placed on administrative leave. As part of last week’s complaint, Liggins demanded he be reinstated, a request the board rejected this week.
Lawyers for Liggins cite this response as proof Liggins is being retaliated against.
"The complaint alleges that the board took the disclosures and then turned around, and rather than engaging in an examination and investigation of the fraud, waste, and abuse — the tip of the iceberg of which had been uncovered, and now we know way more — they turned around and attacked Dr. Liggins and silenced him, as if protecting the vast amount of irregularities and documented discrepancies that Dr. Liggins had begun to uncover," Jones said.
He said going through the KOEA was the path designated in state law to address this situation, but it wasn't the only "avenue of recourse."
"We expect that office to operate expeditiously, but they must take time to do the work to do a proper investigation themselves, and meanwhile all other options are on the table," Jones said.
Jones says the public should be informed of the school board's response to Liggins' alleged disclosures and the "fraud, waste and abuse dynamic" he says exists in FCPS.
The school board said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon it remains focused on serving students and maintaining stability.
"The Board will continue to follow the law and make decisions based on facts and the best interests of our schools and community. Because these matters involve personnel issues, potential legal considerations, and ongoing Board processes, it would be inappropriate to litigate them in the press," the statement reads.
