Intention to Suppress Opposing Views
of Board Members Who Dissent
Clearly Violates First Amendment
11/25/2025 COMMENTARY in news report
The Fayette County Public School Board’s (FCPS) recent proposed change to the Rules of Governance that would prohibit board members from speaking freely about issues voted on is a violation of the First Amendment.
Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has many decisions on application of the First Amendment, and it is clear that political speech is “the highest form of protected free speech.”
According to a Facebook post of school board member Dr. Monica Mundy on 11/25/2025:
“Here’s an update on two items from last night’s (Mon., 11/24/2025) School Board meeting:
“1. Governance Manual
“The Board discussed the proposed Governance Manual, but it is being sent back for more edits and will come back to a future meeting for a vote.
“For me I believe that any language restricting an elected official’s First Amendment rights or their ability to communicate directly with the public or the media is unacceptable.
“I also recommended that the Board participate in a PD Board Meeting Ethics training so we all understand that adopting restrictive language that limits a fellow elected official’s First Amendment rights or ability to communicate with the community is unethical and inappropriate.
“2. Audit Committee Proposal …”
Scroll down and click on “See more” to view Dr. Mundy’s Facebook post as well as commentary from Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
Controversies Over FCPS Mismanagement – COMMENTARY
- $16 million operating deficit violates public expectations for sound management and reveals a cavalier attitude towards stewardship of public tax dollars and the burden on taxpayers.
- State Auditor Allison Ball is working towards audit of FCPS which should be an eye-opener; if violations of state law are found she has the authority to refer issues to criminal investigators. No criminal accusations have been alleged to date. Ball is the Commonwealth’s chief watchdog over taxpayer dollars, ensuring accountability and transparency in government spending.
- FCPS Board Chairman Tyler Murphy oversaw an attempt to sneak through a maximum rate property tax increase without public notice nor chance for public input, a violation of state law according to Kentucky Attorney General Coleman Russell whose office helped put on the brakes for such a dastardly deed in a time of Biden-era inflation of grocery prices and lack of affordable housing. Trump administration policy corrections to reduce inflation have not had time to come to fruition and probably will have minimal effect because after prices go up they rarely come down much.
- Mismanagement of building a new school for girls called “STEM” (science, technology, engineering, math) has created ill-will among property owners adjacent to the construction site because the school system approved a plan that forgot to include enough room for full operation of school buses. FCPS Tyler Murphy’s Board responded with a demand for eminent domain takeover of part of the private home properties’ backyards to accommodate a two-way lane for school buses. A drainage pond on another side of the school’s property could have accommodated the buses had it been located elsewhere on the property. That would have likely avoided the need for seizing private property nearby. FCPS responds that the cost of relocating the drainage pond prohibits that option. One solution would be for the school board to sue the architect firm for alleged negligence and force them to pay for an appropriate portion of the relocation. But, since architects are often chosen on crony or political bases, a lawsuit is not likely.
- A STEM school for girls-only is a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause and will likely result in admissions-challenges and rightly so. Boys, who have been pushed aside in all levels of education to promote girls and women, have a right to equal access to all programs and schools funded by Fayette taxpayers.
- While school Superintended Dr. Demitrius Liggins has no role on the school board, he certainly oversees the budget. He left a Texas school system for the gig here after a multimillion-dollar budget fiasco was revealed there; but, Liggins was NOT incriminated in responsibility for the Texas budget fiasco. However, this is the second school system in which Liggins presides where multimillion dollar budget fiascos have emerged during his tenure, constituting a pattern, regardless of who is accountable for it.
- A Fayette County TV station, WKYT-TV, where Sage editor of JournalKentucky.com interned, allegedly complains that Liggins has cancelled a scheduled appearance. WVLK-AM 590 / FM 97.3 radio host Jack Patty usually has Liggins on once a month; there is no information on whether Liggins will appear in December.
- The state legislature is reconsidering the rules regarding funding local school districts via property tax increases imposed by school boards. The school boards are out of control in an era of shrinking student enrollment and big egos of politicians like Tyler Murphy and reckless superintendents like Liggins.
State Audit of FCPS is Pending
Auditor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is Allison Ball, the constitutional officer responsible for overseeing the financial integrity and accountability of state agencies.
The auditor is a watchdog over spending of taxpayer dollars by state agencies and can conduct audits at her discretion. Some audits are done using a system of random selection; however, there’s no law requiring that method.
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