Leaders with Fayette County Public Schools addressed community concerns Thursday night over the district’s proposed $880 million budget, days before the school board is set to vote on the plan.
District Finance Officer Kyna Koch said the Fiscal Year 2027 budget remains tentative and could change before a final version is submitted to the state in September. Koch said the district is strengthening internal financial controls after last year’s budget issues and expects the district may need another short-term loan next year.
“All of the data that we need to put together for a final working budget is not available to us yet. We don’t submit a final budget to KDE until September, and numbers will change between now and then,” Koch said.
And Koch told those in attendance that a planned $110 million loan to shore up the budget for the 26-27 fiscal year may just be the first.
“It is very likely we’re going to need a short term loan again for next year, but we’re hoping in the next two years we can build the contingency to the point where perhaps we won’t need short term loans,”
Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said the proposed safety budget does not include metal detectors for middle schools, citing the cost of additional staff and equipment.
The budget proposal also includes funding for a special investigation by Allison Ball and $1 million in legal expenses.
Some parents and community members said they appreciated the district’s increased transparency but remained concerned about unanswered questions and the impact of staffing cuts.
FCPS parent Matthew Vied has been a vocal participant at district meetings for the last four years. He said he was disappointed that Thursday's Q&A session only utelized pre-submitted questions and did not allow follow-up.
“The public deserves to be able to interact live with district officials; they deserve to have a two-way conversation with district officials,” said Vied.
Vied added that he has lost confidence with district leaders including Superintendent Liggins and three members of the five member school board.
Before the meeting, members of KY 120 United AFT protested the district’s decision to cut 120 salaried and hourly positions following reported fund mismanagement.
The proposed budget is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday and must be approved by May 30 under state guidelines.
