"The bucks stop with me and I accept that."Fayette County Superintendent Demetrus Liggins
Liggins struck a contrite tone in his prepared remarks, saying much of the criticism of the district has been, in his words, warranted.
"I wish I had done more and I regret that we are in the position we're in today," he said. "There are countless things that I could say that I wish would have happened, should have happened, needed to happen. While those matters are being examined very thoroughly, I want to be clear. In my role as superintendent I understand that the bucks stop with me, and I accept that."
That did not stop lawmakers from directing pointed questions at the superintendent over a perceived lack of detail in his budget presentation, receipts for travel and other expenses, and the loss of trust in school system leadership.
NOW: #Fayette Supt. #Liggins expresses regret over not probing deep enough into budget shortfalls, says the “buck stops with” him. He says his goal is to restore lost trust, notes he doesn’t feel media coverage has captured the full story. #FCPS
— Josh James ☯️ (@joshjameswuky.bsky.social) 2025-09-16T16:05:00.304Z
Budget Numbers
Liggins addressed the interim committee alone, inviting both praise for taking the questions on his own and skepticism from those who expected financial experts to be present.
"I just have to be honest," Education Committee Chair Sen. Stephen West began, referring to Liggins' review of budget data. "I'm very disappointed in what was brought forward."
Although Liggins said the initial $16 million budget shortfall appeared predictable earlier in the budget season, given similar challenges facing districts across the country, he said the drastic downward revision in the contingency fund left him "shocked." He said the overly-optimistic projection given to a budget workgroup was identical to the information he possessed at the time.
Asked point-blank if he felt he was provided accurate budget information this year, he responded, "Without revealing too much of the investigation, the direct answer to that is no."
"I don't know how you regain the trust."Rep. Adrielle Camuel
Regarding the growth in employees, including administration, over last decade, Liggins pointed to an increase in English language learners, special education, and technological needs.
Expenditures
Some of the sharpest criticism came from Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, who said a constituent had obtained six months' worth of credit card data from Fayette County Public Schools through an Open Records request.
"The amount of expenditures on there, for travel alone, is jaw-dropping," she said, citing a $60,000 total for Liggins and suggesting he must have flown first class.
Liggins categorically denied ever flying first class on the district's dime, saying the insinuation is "simply not true." He went on to explain emergency circumstances that led to an inability to cancel a higher-priced ticket in one instance.
As for the district travel as a whole, Liggins said much of the professional development available in Kentucky is focused on rural areas and Fayette benefits from networking with school systems of a similar size elsewhere.
Restoring Trust
Yet many questions circled back around to the erosion of confidence in leadership.
"I don't know how you regain the trust," said Rep. Adrielle Camuel, an FCPS employee. "I don't know how you fix the damage that's done to the community. We need the families in Fayette County Public Schools and across the state to have faith and believe and support our public schools."
Liggins acknowledged rising public frustration and, when asked, characterized the atmosphere inside the administration as one with "trust issues" — vowing he would take a more hands-on approach, ask tougher questions, and welcome the ongoing and upcoming audits and financial reviews.
FCPS board member Monica Mundy said it's clear the board has "work to do" and should "leave no stone unturned" in the audits, with taxpayer money at stake.
In addition to looking at finances and operations, Mundy is advocating for a forensic audit — a review meant to uncover any potential fraud, irregularities, or illegal actions.
Asked whether she has trust in the current superintendent, Mundy told WUKY, "Moving forward, there's trust to be built for all of us and I look forward to working with him and hopefully rebuilding that trust as we go."
The school board is set to authorize an external audit during a meeting tonight at 5:30 p.m.