Parent who spoke out over girls’ STEM academy files for Fayette school board race
A parent and member of the Fayette Schools’ Equity Council Committee filed Tuesday to run for the school board’s First District seat in the November general election.
Monica Mundy’s filing came just days after she spoke out after Superintendent Demetrus Liggins announced he would not add a sixth-grade program to Rise STEM Academy for Girls as planned.
Mundy is an assistant professor in the public health program at Eastern Kentucky University.
She said as a school board member, she would put students first, and listen to their needs as well as families and community partners.
“As a parent, educator, and community advocate, I know how impactful a Board of Education is on the education of our youth,” Mundy said in a statement Tuesday night. “Everyone in Fayette County deserves transparency, consistent and clear communication, and the opportunity to engage with their elected leaders.”
Incumbent Marilyn Clark filed in January to keep the District 1 seat.
“Nothing is more important than the education, safety and well being of our children. I am committed to the work ahead and will continue to advocate for all children,” she said at the time.
Clark did not immediately respond Tuesday night to an email asking for comment.
Clark was appointed to the seat in January 2023 after Christy Morris resigned. Then, in November 2023, Clark won over Janet Greene for a one-year term.
Clark, an economic inclusion manager at the University of Kentucky, previously held roles at FCPS and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
Clark was the first Black woman elected to the Fayette school board since integration.
District 1 in west Fayette County is roughly between Leestown and Harrodsburg roads.
The magnet school Rise STEM Academy for Girls opened in 2020 and initially launched with grades kindergarten through second and a long-term plan to expand through eighth grade. Last week, Liggins held a meeting with families. He said the district had decided not to proceed with launching the sixth-grade program for the 2024-25 school year as originally planned so that services for existing grades could be strengthened.
Mundy said at an Fayette Equity Council Committee meeting that families were left in a bind with Liggins’ decision. Liggins said putting a halt to further expansions and providing some consistency across consecutive school years will facilitate a comprehensive assessment of the program.
Mundy and other parents also previously advocated for a newly constructed Rise STEM Academy for Girls for grades kindergarten through five. That is now planned for land on Versailles Road.
Who else is running for Fayette school board?
Vice school board chair Amy Green, who represents District 5, has filed for re-election. She is currently unopposed.
Danny Anthony Everett, adjunct professor and Siloam Project director at Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, filed December 14 for the District 3 seat.
That seat is currently held by Jason Moore. The District 3 seat opened in October after former board member Tom Jones resigned.
Members of the school board voted unanimously in December to appoint Moore, a special agent and instructor with the Drug Enforcement Administration, to fill the District 3 board vacancy.
Moore will hold office until the November 2024 election, when he and other candidates can run for a full four year term. Moore has not said yet whether he will run.
The filing deadline for Fayette school board seats is June 4.
Fayette County has five seats on its public schools board. The board decides on district-wide policies, priorities, direction and spending.
