Board Buzz: Balanced Tentative Budget for FY27 Presented

May 11, 2026

We offer a recap of the May planning meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education as part of our commitment to providing regular updates for FCPS student families, our employees, and the community.

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Top Takeaway: Balanced Tentative Budget for FY27 Presented

Kyna Koch, who is the district's interim chief financial officer, and budget specialist Jessica Williams have presented a balanced $880.5 million FY27 tentative working budget for Fayette County Public Schools that meets the 2 percent contingency threshold required by the Kentucky Department of Education. The proposed plan prioritizes reduced spending at the district level while preserving classroom resources and staff, including district-allocated school-based positions.

"Our tentative budget is built with very conservative budget estimates," said Koch, who noted her team continues to deal with a lot of moving parts. "We still have a lot of work to do, but we're getting there."

FCPS leaders this summer will begin recovery efforts to restore the General Fund contingency to 6 percent.

View the Budget Presentation

The school board is expected to vote on the tentative budget at this month's regular meeting. Other money-related proposals up for consideration that night include:

• A short-term tax revenue anticipation note up to $110 million to cover costs from July through October until expected revenue comes in the fall
• The district's 2026-27 salary schedule, which includes the annual step increase for certified and classified staff
• An industrial revenue bond to fund a renovation project at Rose Tower apartments 
• An industrial revenue bond to fund a residential development on Midland Avenue

Audio Recording of the May 11 Planning Session

Proposals to Sell Off Several Properties

The FY27 tentative budget includes an assumption of FCPS taking in about $3 million from the sale of underused properties. The surplus proposals include the former district administration building at 701 E. Main St., the Ambrose building (Human Resources) at 128 Walton Ave., and adjacent properties, the school building at 123 E. Sixth St. (currently housing George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys), and the school building at 2420 Spurr Road (currently housing Rise STEM Academy for Girls). Additionally, staff propose selling several high-mileage school buses as surplus.

Last summer's Budget Solutions Work Group had recommended liquidation of assets to help address the budget issues. FCPS recently sold the old Southside Technical Center property on Harrodsburg Road.

Fine Arts Year in Review

Under the Superintendent's Report, Fine Arts Director Katherine Lowther shared highlights of community partnerships and student experiences during the 2025-26 school year. Instructional specialist Kelly Mayes also presented details on the latest group of seniors to earn the Seal of Arts Excellence, including Janeway Howard of Lafayette, who spoke about her experiences. Lowther also noted this summer's districtwide musical production will be "Seussical."

• View the Fine Arts Presentation

Other Agenda Highlights

In the night's lone action item, the board approved an amended 2025-26 instructional calendar, designating the rest of our weather make-up days starting May 29 and confirming June 3 as the last day of school.

• View the Amended Calendar Presentation

Under upcoming consent items, which the board will vote on at its May 21 action meeting, is the proposed 2027-28 instructional calendar. It includes Aug. 11 as the first day of classes and May 24 as the last day of school.

• View the Proposed Calendar Presentation

Note that the board approves our district's instructional calendars well in advance, and the 2026-27 calendar is already confirmed.

Need More Details?

For more information about the latest meeting:

• Skim the May 11 agenda.
• Listen to the audio recording.
• Read the official minutes, which will be posted within the agenda of the next board meeting.

How to Follow Board Meetings

Community members may attend the school board's planning sessions and action meetings at the John D. Price Administration Building, 450 Park Place, where public comment is welcome. The monthly action meetings are also livestreamed on the FCPS YouTube channel and the district's Video on Demand service.

Additionally, the Board Meeting Buzz -- which is emailed to our student families and staff -- is archived on the district website as "recap" under Agendas & Records.