FCPS Shares April Update on District Financial Operations

Statement from Superintendent Demetrus Liggins:

When I recently reaffirmed my commitment to Fayette County Public Schools, I did so with the knowledge that our district was approaching a critical point. One of my primary motivations for remaining in this role is to ensure that I am here to see the district through the financial challenges we face today and will face over the months to come. I am committed to being the leader who addresses these issues once and for all, stabilizing our district finances and building the new, transparent structures our community deserves.

Today’s update is a continuation of the work we began in August 2025 when I assumed direct oversight of FCPS financial operations. Since then, we have received the results of two separate external reviews – one at my request and one at the board’s direction – which have already been completed and shared publicly. 

As a direct result of those reports, the school board made it very clear that we need to drill down and find the root cause of our financial challenges and correct those issues moving forward. 

In March, I hired an interim chief financial officer to look further at our internal financial processes. As you are aware, there are currently two more external investigations happening — the accounting firm of Weaver and Tidwell was hired by the school board to conduct a comprehensive review, and a special examination is being conducted by the state’s Auditor of Public Accounts.

While those investigations are not yet complete, I believe it is my responsibility to share what we have learned so far. Preliminary findings suggest that our district’s finances have been misstated for years, that multiple federal and state requirements may not have been followed, and that our accounting procedures may not have been aligned with acceptable practices.

If the findings are confirmed in the final reports, the ramifications will be significant and long-term. We are already implementing operational improvements, but these changes are not enough to address our new financial reality. To level-set district finances, we will have to make difficult decisions in the coming days and weeks, especially as we continue developing the proposed budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Given the inaccurate cash flow information we have previously been given, our leadership team will recommend that we follow a very common practice in Kentucky school districts and seek a short-term loan to cover expenditures until we begin receiving property taxes in the fall. We will bring this request to the board for action in May.

I ask for our community’s support as we stay the course to fix these errors. I am not a CPA, but the information I have received makes it apparent that the circumstances we face warrant a comprehensive exam. The contract our board approved with Weaver and Tidwell charges qualified, independent experts to help guide that process, and I would fully support a forensic audit.

My focus is simple: ensuring that we have a complete and accurate understanding of our financial position so we can move forward with confidence and integrity.

We cannot afford to keep going the way we have been. We must do the right thing to correct these issues now, or we jeopardize the fiscal health of our schools, the livelihood of our employees, and most importantly, the quality of education we provide our students. In addition to meeting with the school board, staff, and key community partners, I will share additional information during our monthly board meetings, media briefings, and ongoing and direct communication with our staff, our families, and the broader community. 

Our students deserve a district that is both fiscally sound and academically excellent. I am committed to ensuring they get exactly that. 

Superintendent Demetrus Liggins,
Fayette County Public Schools

Statement on behalf of Fayette County Board of Education Chair and Vice Chair

What has been uncovered to this point appears to reflect years of financial misreporting going back as far as 2008. This is deeply unacceptable, and we are angry on behalf of every student, family, educator, and taxpayer.

We authorized an external audit because we owe the community truth – however difficult. Now that we have more information, we owe them something more: accountability, transparency, and action - that is an expectation the school board has made clear and that defines our directive to the superintendent as he takes necessary corrective measures.

And our board must be unified, aligned, and committed to working together as one team alongside the superintendent to lead these necessary improvements and to continue seeking the truth. There is too much at stake for anything less. That is precisely the commitment we made – both with the commissioning of the external audit in the fall and the requiring a timely and thorough response from the superintendent in response to the information we have received in this process. Addressing an issue of this magnitude and duration requires disciplined, collective leadership, and continual oversight rooted in facts, guided by evidence, and focused on moving the district forward with clarity and purpose.

Student success remains our guiding purpose. Our students are succeeding at record levels. Achievement gaps are closing. Our educators are excelling. And we remain committed to protecting the classroom and providing world-class education. That, ultimately, must define our work and our district.

Chair Tyler Murphy & Vice Chair Amy Green,
Fayette County Board of Education