FCPS Board approves FY26 budget

On Monday, September 22nd, the Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) Board of Education approved the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Board members Tyler Murphy, Penny Christian, and Amy Green voted to approve the budget; members Monica Mundy and Amanda Ferguson voted against approving the budget.

Monday's vote is the final vote on the FY26 budget. The final draft features a number of cuts to balance the budget, including:

• Freezing hiring for all FCPS positions, excluding classroom positions and bus drivers;
• Cuts to travel and professional development budgets across the District;
• Restricting District-wide events, such as staff appreciation dinners;
• Moving staff positions from schools with excess staff to schools that are understaffed, which would save money by cutting substitute costs at the understaffed schools;
• Expected revenue for the sale of the Southside Technical Center facility on Harrodsburg Road.

No cuts have been made to classroom positions, although Superintendent Demetrus Liggins has said that Administrative level cuts could indirectly impact teachers and school campuses.

As part of the budget's approval, the Board voted to require Superintendent Liggins to draft and present a plan for how the District can build up its Contingency Fund to 6% of the budget's funds, which is required by Board policy.

• The Contingency Fund is sitting at roughly $23.6 million.
  • The District had initially planned for a $42.9 million Contingency Fund.

While the budget vote is the final step in the official budget process, the Board, the State government, and community members will continue to have discussions and investigate how FCPS ended up in its current financial situation:

• Kentucky State Auditor Allison Ball is conduction an investigation into FCPS's fiscal management.
• Superintendent Liggins has launched an internal investigation into District finances over the last several years.
• The FCPS Board of Education will soon release an RFP to hire an external agency to audit the District's finances and decision making.
• A lawsuit has been filed by Ann Sampson-Grimes, the District's Budget Director who alleges she was placed on leave as retaliation for her raising concerns about FCPS's finances as early as February 2024.

Programming Note: Now that the FCPS Board of Education has adopted the FY26 Budget, our coverage of the District will end (for now). We appreciate how generous our readers have been in supporting and sharing our FCPS Budget coverage. One day, we hope to hire a full-time reporter to cover FCPS just like we cover Council. If you want to help us get to that point, become a CivicLex member! Your support directly goes toward our community reporting.