Fayette County Public Schools students returned to class to kick off the school year Wednesday under new leadership and in a district facing another significant budget deficit.
Acting Superintendent Bill Bradford, who was appointed to the interim post in June, was joined by Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton at Deep Springs Elementary School to welcome back students.
Gorton expressed confidence in FCPS Wednesday, but said parents deserve resolution around the state of the district’s finances and the fate of Superintendent Demetrus Liggins, who has been on paid administrative leave since June 10.
“I had a good relationship with Dr. Liggins, and I intend to do the same with Dr. Bradford, but it’s really not my job to [comment on Liggins’ contract]. I think the parents have been through a lot, and there needs to be some kind of closure,” Gorton said as elementary students streamed through the front door for their first day of class.
During Thursday’s Team Kentucky update, Gov. Andy Beshear said it was time for FCPS and the superintendent to “have a clean break.”
The Fayette County Board of Education has not said publicly why it suspended Liggins, but the move followed months of turmoil over financial mismanagement that led to budget shortfalls, missing contingency funds, layoffs, multiple investigations and shake-ups to leadership in the budget office.
At least one investigation found Liggins violated policy in failing to properly oversee FCPS finances and not keeping the school board apprised of the situation. An attorney for Liggins didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment this week.
Gorton said Wednesday she is interested in the results of an audit currently underway by State Auditor Allison Ball.
“They’re doing a forensic audit, which is a deep look into the books, and we’re all interested in seeing that,” the mayor said.
An audit delivered last week by Texas firm Weaver and Tidwell LLP found, among other issues, power concentrated among top finance staff, employees creating and approving their own budget changes, unaccounted for spending on FCPS purchase cards and a lack of transparency before the public and school board.
That report also delivered a 18-month corrective action plan, which board chairman Tyler Murphy said the district intends to review.
Fayette County is Kentucky’s second largest school district, serving more than 40,000 students.
