WKYT Investigates: Questions remain over Fayette County superintendent’s pay cut amount

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Three and a half weeks after Fayette County Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins announced he would take a pay cut amid the district’s financial fallout, questions about how much money he is giving up remain unanswered.

Liggins announced the cut would be 10% of his pay, but the wording in the announcement suggests the cut could be more than $15,000 less than the community initially thought.

Confusion over salary figures

When Liggins announced he would take a 10% cut to his pay, many community members took that to mean 10% of his $275,000 salary. That is his minimum annual salary according to his contract, which includes a total compensation of $392,000. Ten percent of Liggins’ salary would mean he is giving up just over $27,000.

But in Liggins’ announcement of the pay cut, he said the 10% cut would come from his “base pay.” His contract does not list a “base pay.”

A document from the Kentucky Department of Education lists Liggins’ annual base salary as $94,000. KDE said districts submit that information. The document said Fayette County Public Schools submitted Liggins’ contract data in August 2025. If this base pay is where the 10% pay cut is coming from, that would mean Liggins is giving up just over $9,000, not $27,000.

District declines to clarify

The district was first asked on May 6 for clarification on which figure Liggins’ pay cut will come from. A spokesperson would only say that it is a 10% reduction in his “superintendent base pay.” Follow-up requests asking which figure that would come from have not received an answer.