Superintendent Liggins speaks at Commerce Lexington Public Policy Luncheon

Tuesday, Supt. Liggins discussed continued staffing issues, remote learning, and student and teacher mental health.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Fayette County Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins spoke at the Commerce Lexington Public Policy Luncheon Series on Tuesday.

Tuesday afternoon, Liggins discussed his first six months as Fayette County Schools superintendent, remote learning, and spoke to the school districts’ staffing issues due to the ongoing pandemic.

“We’ve actually given a raise for the first time in 5 years, some are to staff” said Liggins, “we’re also taking our stimulus funds to give incentive pay for our bus drivers. They’re making more per hour this year. We’re incentivizing them to come to work on days that are typically very low attendance rates, and we’ve hired a recruiter for those part-time positions.”

The superintendent also discussed student and teacher mental health. According to Liggins, there have been about 300,000 referrals in Fayette County Schools for mental health services since the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year.

“We’re seeing more drastic cases of mental health issues than we’ve ever seen before. The good thing is we have a great team that can provide these services. But it’s tough, our kids are having hard times, our teachers are having hard times,” said Superintendent Liggins.

The luncheon was held at the Campbell House in Lexington and included a panel discussion and Q & A after Liggins’ remarks.