Board Buzz

We provide this recap of our monthly school board action meetings as part of our commitment to providing timely, clear, and accurate information to students, staff, families, and the community.

You may also review the full agenda.

Good News on Tax Rates

The Fayette County Board of Education is continuously committed to being a good steward of the community's investments in our public schools. These decisions will mean lower tax rates for 2023-24 -- good news for all property owners in Lexington. Combining this fiscal stewardship with sound academic and strategic goals, Superintendent Demetrus Liggins brought to the board a way that helps to keep tax rates steady for personal property and motor vehicles, with a decrease in the real estate tax. The real estate tax rate approved Monday night results in a decrease of 2.3 cents -- $23 in taxes for real property assessed at $100,000. This plan will benefit not only taxpayers but also our students. Given the growth of our community, these changes will still lead to an estimated $316.1 million increase in revenues to help fund the strategic investments of our district to support our students and staff.

Proposed Name for New Middle School

Under discussion items, Chief School Leadership Officer Bill Bradford share a broad-based committee's recommendation for the name of the middle school under construction on Polo Club Boulevard: Mary E. Britton Middle School. A public school teacher and activist, Britton later earned a medical degree and became the first Black female doctor in Kentucky, practicing in Lexington.

• View the Naming Presentation

The board is expected to take action on the proposed name at its Sept. 11 planning meeting.

Back to School: The board received an update on the start and direction of the new school year from Meocha Williams, assistant superintendent for Academic Services. "There was a lot of excitement in the air and a lot of smiling faces," she said of the opening days. Williams' report highlighted the broad areas of focus for 2022-25 and how FCPS will work to reach its goals and fulfill its mission.

• View the Back to School Presentation

Leadership Framework: Tiffany Marshall, a chief school leadership officer for elementaries, shared details of the leadership framework developed for Fayette County Public Schools. "The framework really focuses on 'Leadership matters,'" she said. "It's about everyone having an opportunity to grow, and we want to tap into everyone's talents."

• View the Leadership Framework Presentation

Construction Updates: Myron Thompson, the district's chief operating officer, recapped the latest updates on construction of the middle school in the Hamburg area and renovation of the former Herald-Leader building for a new Career & Technical Education (CTE) center.

• View the Monthly Construction Report

Among action items on the agenda, the school board approved:

• The revised Family Engagement policy;
• The monthly financial report; and
• The unaudited year-end financial report.

In addition, the board unanimously approved a resolution honoring Tanya Dailey, the superintendent's executive assistant, who is retiring this week after more than 30 years of service to FCPS.

• Read the Resolution

On topics not on the agenda, citizen Heather Cherry shared thoughts on Senate Bill 150 and the district's Department of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging.

The official minutes from the Aug. 28 action meeting will be posted within the agenda of the next meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education.

The school board's action meetings are livestreamed on the FCPS YouTube channel and the district's Video on Demand service. Meetings are then archived in our YouTube playlist.

• Watch the Aug. 28 video (Note: The board's summer meetings are virtual.)

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