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Kentucky’s 2026 Superintendent of the Year describes himself as a “student-first” leader, and his focus on community partnerships proves that.

District 91��Ƭistration had the chance to sit down with Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins in celebration of his award and to capture his leadership philosophy.

Note: The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

What does being named Kentucky’s Superintendent of the Year mean for you personally and professionally?

It’s extremely humbling. I’ve stated several times that it’s not just a recognition of me, but our incredible students, our staff and the amazing community that we have. It’s a collective work of our teachers, our principals, leaders and all of those who believe in public education. I share this award with them.

Personally, it affirms the sacrifices and the dedication that I’ve put in, and that of my family; my grandmother, who raised me; my mother; and all the families who have entrusted me with their children’s future.

It’s a great time of reflection, and professionally, it inspires me to keep pushing forward and be bold for kids and stay student-centered.

Speaking of your student-centered mindset, how do you ensure that students’ needs remain at the center of your decision-making?

My focus has always been on creating systems that ensure children are looked at as individuals, not as numbers, subgroups or anything other than the whole child, and to create opportunities and access for every single child, regardless of their background.

It also means taking responsibility when things don’t go as planned. Overall, my leadership is about service to our kids and to those who are servicing our kids.

I have a motto in the district, which is regardless of what your role is, whether you’re a bus driver, a custodian, a principal, we have one job, and that is student success, and that is everyone’s mission.

Since becoming superintendent in 2021, what initiatives have you put in place that you’re most proud of?

We started a triple-A initiative, which was about achievement for all. Also, expanding advanced coursework and access to everyone, as well as improving our attendance. I came to the district in the middle of the pandemic, and those three initiatives were necessary to focus on.

We also implemented our “New Way Forward” strategic plan, which focused on ensuring that our students were at the center of all that we do, as well as ensuring there are systems in place for the adults who support our students.

The data is showing that it’s all paying off. In last year’s accountability data, we made historic gains. We had no schools identified as needing improvement. Also, for the first time, we had no schools identified for low achievement among our Black students, Hispanic students and economically disadvantaged students.

It’s been quite an honor to oversee this work and to lead this effort. I’m very proud to give much of the credit to our teachers, our staff and this community, as a whole, who support the public education system.

You’re also committed to creating strategic partnerships. Can you speak to some of those?

I’m a strong believer that we can’t do this work alone. It takes community partners as well, whether it’s individuals, churches that are adopting campuses and helping students who live in poverty or need extra support, whether it’s our PTAs, our business partners or a nonprofit.

One particular partnership I’m very proud of is our partnership with Toyota, which supports us through the program. They’re helping our campuses remove any of the barriers that are inhibiting success for certain student groups. That includes getting information out in the multiple languages that make up our community, addressing transportation barriers and coming to our schools to speak to a child’s teacher.

We are fortunate here in Lexington to have a community that is willing to step up and help. I’m the type of leader who certainly doesn’t mind asking for help, either. Often, as leaders, we have to put it out there and make sure that our community understands that they’re welcome in our schools.

Looking ahead to the current school year, what are your priorities?

There’s a national teacher pipeline issue, so we’ll continue to work on initiatives such as our “grow your own” initiative. We’re partnering with several universities to have our staff who are interested in teaching earn their degree through alternative certification programs.

We will also expand collaboration with our local businesses and universities to enhance the career readiness of our students. And as always, we’re going to work on improving student outcomes.

Our job isn’t done until every single child has reached their fullest potential.

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