As the school year began for students in the Commonwealth this August, Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS), one of the state’s biggest school districts, came under scrutiny by lawmakers and officials regarding their excessive spending in previous school years.
According to lawmakers in Frankfort, the district faced a $16 million shortfall the previous school year, prompting school board members to hold a meeting on Monday, Sept. 22, allowing residents of Lexington to discuss possible solutions to the school’s budget issue. The list of 10 recommendations, which the Board received from a District Budget Solutions Work Group, included the solution of raising the occupational license tax for residents of the school district.
The scrutiny of the district began when receipts from the school district were released, revealing massive amounts of spending by personnel at various schools. Some payments included the Superintendent of Fayette County Schools, Dr. Demetrus Liggins, who spent $60,000 in travel expenses in six months alone. Other spending issues included a $7,000 trip to Australia by Liggins, and the average credit card expense in the district was $400,000 a month…