Demetrus Liggins hired as superintendent to lead public schools in Lexington

Demetrus Liggins, superintendent of schools in Greenville Independent School District in Texas, was on Friday hired as the new superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools by a unanimous vote of the school board.

The hire is dependent on contract negotiations with Liggins but he said Friday he didn’t anticipate any problems and hoped to be on the job by July.

Liggins said he is ready to impact student achievement and he believes the school system is the heartbeat of any community.

“I realize the weight that is placed on my shoulders to make sure the heartbeat of the community continues,” Liggins said. “This is the place I wanted to be.”

He said one of his top priorities will be transitioning students and staff out of the coronavirus pandemic to whatever the new normal will be. He said he wanted to get students back on track. Liggins said nationally, COVID had impacted students that were most disadvantaged.

Liggins said he will start out by learning and listening.

The other finalists were: Christopher Bernier, chief of staff of the Clark County, Nev., school district; Melvin Brown, superintendent of the Reynoldsburg City Schools in Ohio; Angela Dominguez, assistant superintendent of academic services for the Edgewood Independent School district in Texas; and Tawana Grover, superintendent of Grand Island Public Schools in Grand Island, Neb.

Fayette school board chairman Tyler Murphy said that overall, 50 people had applied for the job.

Murphy said the school board was “united as a board” in believing Liggins is the right person for the job.

“We were energized by the community engagement in this process. Overwhelmingly, we heard our community wanted someone who not only can connect with students, staff, and community partners, but also understands the value brought by these diverse perspectives,” said Murphy. “Our board is enthusiastic to find a candidate whose skills and experiences align so well with the superintendent candidate profile.”

At his first press conference held in the new Central Office, the John D. Price Administration Building on Park Place, Liggins said, “I am excited to get to work every day on behalf of staff, students, families, and the community, to make us a better place.”

With help from the Florida-based executive search firm Greenwood/Asher and Associates, the school board has been looking for months for a replacement for Superintendent Manny Caulk who died in December 2020.

Marlene Helm has served as interim superintendent since November.

“Dr. Helm’s guidance, wisdom, and leadership during a particularly challenging time for the district has been invaluable. Her steady leadership has benefited our students, staff, and families and will help make the next superintendent’s transition a success,” said Murphy.

Liggins said he wanted to continue Caulk’s work with equity and closing the achievement gap.

With nearly 41,000 students, Fayette County is the second largest school district in Kentucky.

Penny Christian, the immediate past President of the 16th District PTA that includes Fayette County, said “after seeing him in the Family Focus Group I couldn’t help but be acutely aware of his intense passion for children.”

“His personal story is a driving force for his belief that all children can and should succeed and exceed expectations, and I think that his experience will bring some fresh ideas as well as being able to build upon what has already been put in place in the last five years,” she said.

Liggins has said he was the second child born to his mother while she was still in high school.

“I also believe that his youth will be an asset as our students will see him as someone who can relate to them, and be able to grow as a district in its entirety,” Christian said.

Search firm officials declined to release Liggins’ age.

“The Lexington-Fayette NAACP looks forward to working with the new Superintendent, Dr. Demetrus Liggins,” said Shambra Mulder, education chair of the NAACP, who has previously criticized the search at various points.

“We are confident that he meets top three qualifications needed to make a significant difference in this community,” said Mulder.

She said those top three qualities include being a bold leader who will be an active advocate of public education in the Frankfort legislature; a leader that will have a clear plan for addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the district by prioritizing the work of the Office of Diversity, Family, and Community Engagement; and transparent leader that will create a system to actively engage with the entire community

“The Prichard Committee looks forward to working with you and supporting your efforts to ensure the promise of public education for each and every student post-COVID,” Brigitte Blom Ramsey, President & CEO of the Prichard Committee said in a congratulatory message.

Fayette County Education Association President Jessica Hiler said that educators group is looking forward to a collaborative relationship with Liggins to meet the challenges facing public education.

“We are confident that his leadership will unite staff, parents and the community to ensure that every student reaches their full potential,” she said.

Currently, Liggins is superintendent of schools in Greenville Independent School District, an urban district outside of Dallas, Texas.

When he arrived in 2016, the district had a “D” rating and was facing fiscal challenges. Since then, the district earned high ratings in academic and fiscal performance. The Texas Education Agency gave Greenville ISD a “B” overall, and a “Superior” rating for financial management, a Fayette district news release said.

Bilingual in English and Spanish, Liggins initiated a citywide literacy program called Rally Round Reading, which offers all children ages birth to third grade high-quality online reading materials in both English and Spanish. He is on the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Race, Equity, and Diversity committee.

“Liggins values preparing students for both college and careers and has created a partnership with Texas A&M University-Commerce guaranteeing admission of all Greenville ISD graduates and free tuition for economically disadvantaged students, “ a Fayette news release said.

Liggins, who has an adult son, received his bachelor’s in education and master’s degree in English from California State University, Fresno and a Master of Education and superintendent certification from Stephen F. Austin State University. He received his Ph.D. in K-16 educational leadership and policy from University of Texas-Arlington.

In 2020, he was recognized as a “Superintendent to Watch” by the National School Public Relations Association.

The newspaper in the town where Liggins currently serves, the Greenville, Texas Herald-Banner said in an editorial this week that “while we adhere to the notion that no one is irreplaceable, we also firmly believe that there are those who indispensable.”

“In this case, we argue that Liggins has proven to be an indispensable member of this community,” the editorial said.

‘His... passion makes organizations soar.’ Texas superintendent finalist for Fayette job.