Fayette County Public Schools are back in session
By Karyn Czar
August 12, 2026 at 11:32 AM EDT
Students, teachers, and staff returned to the classrooms on Wednesday in several counties across Kentucky. In Fayette County, the acting superintendent and Lexington's mayor were on hand to greet students as they arrived for their first day.
Dr. Bill Bradford stepped into the leadership role at the district this summer after Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins was placed on paid leave. Despite turmoil at the central office over Liggins and the budget, Bradford said Fayette County was ready for the start of the 26-27 school year.
FCPS Acting Superintendent Dr. Bill Bradford and Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton welcome students to Deep Springs Elementary for their first day of the 2026-27 school year. (1920x1507, AR: 1.2740544127405442)
"I think that the abundance of my preparation today was making sure that the system at large, like our district office, was prepared to execute what needed to be done today in order to have an efficient first day of school," Bradford said. "So transportation, operations, school leadership, academic service, student support, and really making sure all of our departments across the organization were prepared to support our classroom teachers so that our students really had a good first day."
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and Bradford met twice leading up to today, and both said they felt those meetings were productive and that they "looked forward to a good working relationship."
And Gorton said they have already discussed plans for winter months, which created major challenges for the city last season because of snow and ice, causing FCPS to cancel school for several days due to treacherous road conditions. Gorton said the updated snow plan should be ready by next month.
FCPS Acting Superintendent Dr. Bill Bradford and Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton welcome students to Deep Springs Elementary for their first day of the 2026-27 school year. (1920x1507, AR: 1.2740544127405442)
"I think that the abundance of my preparation today was making sure that the system at large, like our district office, was prepared to execute what needed to be done today in order to have an efficient first day of school," Bradford said. "So transportation, operations, school leadership, academic service, student support, and really making sure all of our departments across the organization were prepared to support our classroom teachers so that our students really had a good first day."
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and Bradford met twice leading up to today, and both said they felt those meetings were productive and that they "looked forward to a good working relationship."
And Gorton said they have already discussed plans for winter months, which created major challenges for the city last season because of snow and ice, causing FCPS to cancel school for several days due to treacherous road conditions. Gorton said the updated snow plan should be ready by next month.