LEXINGTON, Ky. — Months before Fayette County Public Schools faced a multimillion-dollar shortfall, Superintendent Demetrus Liggins told a school board member there was no cause for concern — while also scolding her for speaking with district staff about budget questions — even as questions circulated about departmental budget reductions. The correspondence, obtained and reviewed by the Herald-Leader, offers an early glimpse of tensions that would later grow into a full-blown budget crisis.
According to the Herald-Leader, board member Amanda Ferguson emailed Liggins on Dec. 2, 2024, after hearing from staff that all FCPS departments had been told to trim budgets by 10 percent. Ferguson asked why the board — which formally oversees district finances — had not been informed first.
Liggins responded the same day, telling Ferguson there were no actual cuts and that the district’s financial outlook remained “very healthy.” He described the exercise as an administrative review to identify potential savings for future years, the Herald-Leader reported. He also pushed back against Ferguson’s conversations with staff, saying it was inappropriate for board members to discuss management decisions outside official channels…