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Fletcher named new Education Commissioner

Robbie Fletcher

Fletcher hopes to innovate accountability, revive the teaching profession 

Kentucky School Advocate
May 2024

By Brenna R. Kelly
Staff writer

When he takes the reins of the Kentucky Department of Education on July 1, Robbie Fletcher says he will be “all in” for Kentucky just as he was in Lawrence County. 

When Fletcher became Lawrence County superintendent in 2014 he changed his Twitter handle to All_in_LC. 

“The very first football game I went to, it was a cheer,” Fletcher said recently, adding he plans to change the LC to KY. “People had already bought into it. They were already ‘all in.’” 

Fletcher, who was chosen by the Kentucky Board of Education as the state’s next education commissioner and then confirmed by the state Senate in the final hours of the 2024 General Assembly, will oversee the education of the state’s nearly 650,000 students as the state’s chief state school officer.

“I think it’s a blessing being a superintendent from Kentucky because I will come in ahead of the game on  some things,” he said. “But when you go into a new organization there’s a lot of things you need to learn.” 

During his tenure at KDE, Fletcher says he wants to develop a more meaningful accountability system, raise the profile of the teaching profession, advocate for more public education funding and plan for the future. 

At a recent news conference laying out his plans, Fletcher said he’s not intimidated by going from being responsible for the education of roughly 2,000 students to 325 times that number of students. 

“One of the things I’ve learned in my career is regardless of the size of the district, there’s one thing that matters most and that’s relationships,”
he said. Being a superintendent and chair of KDE’s Superintendent’s Advisory Council, Fletcher said he already has a good relationship with Kentucky superintendents. 

He plans to visit as many schools as possible to learn about the districts and the issues they are facing. 

“JCPS (Jefferson County) is going to look a little different than the issues that you may be facing in Lyon County or in Pulaski County,” he said, “but until you sit down and talk with those people and really understand where they are and what they’re doing, you can’t really make a great decision.” 

Likewise, Fletcher said he appreciates the communication with Senators during the confirmation process. Fletcher is the first Kentucky education commissioner to face Senate confirmation under a state law passed in 2022. Fletcher said he plans to maintain communication with legislators. 

However, when it comes to the constitutional amendment lawmakers placed on the ballot this fall asking voters whether public money should go to private schools, Fletcher said he will vote no. 

“Because I do not believe that public funds should go to private organizations,” he said. But if the measure passes, Fletcher said that as a public servant he would have to implement whatever programs the legislature enacts. 

During the news conference, Fletcher was also asked about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which was a target of lawmakers during this past session. 

“How I approach DEI, I’m going to love all students when they come in the door regardless of the decisions that they make,” he said, adding that he would support a student’s choice of pronouns if the parents and teachers have been involved. “We want to make sure we serve all students, that we treat all students equally, we treat all students fairly and we give all students the same type of opportunities.” 

Fletcher thanked the legislature for passing what he called “the best education budget I’ve seen in my time” but added that he will not stop asking for more funding that would allow higher salaries for district employees. 

In addition to higher pay, Kentucky teachers need to be celebrated, he said. 

“I think we need a revival when it comes to teachers,” Fletcher said. Growing up in Martin County, Fletcher recalled that the first time he flew on a plane or got to see flat ground was because of a teacher. 

But over the years, there’s been a loss of respect of the profession and Fletcher wants to change that by telling the stories of teachers across the state who are making a difference for their students. 

“Not only from the teacher perspective, but the person that was impacted by that teacher,” he said. “Let’s go out and make sure that when we find something good is going on in a district with a teacher, let’s let people know.” 

Another priority will be changing the state’s accountability system to allow the tests to impact instruction and to be responsive to local communities’ needs, he said. 

“State testing has to change because there’s too much pressure, there’s too much,” he said. 

At the end of his tenure as commissioner, Fletcher said he hopes there is an accountability system that everyone can believe in. One idea would be to have more interim assessments, he said. Another is to have a local and a state system. 

Until July, Fletcher said he will continue to work in Lawrence County, including the end of the year ritual – signing diplomas.

“I want to thank the kids in Lawrence County, they have been great for 10 years. They’ve made me a better person, they made me a better leader,” he said. “A couple of them said, ‘Will you sign my diploma next year?’ I said, ‘I don’t think I can.’” 

Bio

High school: Sheldon Clark High School 

College: Bachelor’s in mathematics from Morehead State University (MSU), 1996. Masters in education, University of Kentucky, 2002. Superintendent certification, MSU, 2006. Doctor of education, MSU, 2013. 

Teaching: Taught in Williamstown Independent, Bourbon County, Martin County. Principal of Sheldon Clark High School, Martin County. Superintendent, Lawrence County Schools. Part-time faculty at Asbury University. 

Education policy: Chair of the U.S. Department of Education’s Appalachia Regional Advisory Committee, chair of the KDE’s Local Superintendent Advisory Council. Served on KDE’s state assessment and accountability advisory committee, on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, the Local Superintendents Advisory Council, the Kentucky legislature’s School Funding Task Force and the Commissioner’s Kentucky Coalition for Advancing Education. 

Family: Wife, Missy, a family doctor; Children, Abigail, Jacob (deceased), Eli 

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