Chuck Fletcher, Franklin County Schools

Kentucky School Advocate
October 2020

You joined the school board in 2017 and are running unopposed for a new term. What made you want to join the board and then continue to serve on it?

I have always been an educator in public schools. I was a teacher and then an administrator, and my focus is on kids so they get outstanding learning and become successful in their community. I want to put kids first in everything we do. Every child is important, and we need to make sure they are success stories. Being a former president of the local retired teachers’ association also helped me focus on the needs of teachers.

You’ve coached several people who have become school board members.

Yes, Joe Marshall, one of the new members in Jefferson County, is a former student of mine. I kind of coached him going into the interview, and he got appointed and then won election against six opponents. And my niece, Carmela Fletcher-Green, is a board member in Montgomery County. I coached her. I’m so proud of both.

You are a retired educator. Tell us about your career.
I was a social studies teacher at Anderson County High School and then I went into administration, working in transportation. Teaching was in my blood. When I was a kid, I played teacher. I was the only one in my family at the time to go through college.

Besides funding, what are the biggest challenges facing your district?

We are facing a shortage of teachers. We are going to need the support of legislators to come up with ways to entice more people to go into teaching. And, Covid-19 is going to have an effect on kids in the next few years. It is not going to be the same for a few years until Covid-19 is knocked down.  

You have some interesting ideas about praise and promotion.

I think teachers and support staff need to be praised. I hope that legislators and the federal government will look at providing more funds to these people. They have gone beyond the call of duty to keep children safe. And we don’t put the PR out there about our schools. We are not selling what we are good at. We are doing a good job, but we are not educating our public about what is going on in the system. Every school in our community should be rolling out what your school is about and what it can offer. I think it would make a difference because you are promoting something very valuable in communities.
 
What’s something your district is doing that makes you excited for the future?

Our district is looking at the whole child. There are kids going through regular high school with sports and clubs, but there are also kids that don’t care about those things. They might have to take care of their brothers and sisters or a parent at home. Kids today are so different, and we have to look at what are possibilities of meeting their needs. One of the greatest things we’ve done is William Cofield High School, where kids work through the process on their own schedule and then they graduate like any other child. We started out with 40 students then went to 55. It keeps kids in school. We are meeting kids where their needs are.  

You were recently elected to the Kiwanis International Board of Trustees, why is being in this organization important to you?

Kiwanis has always been about service to children. My purpose is to see that we could have impact on meeting the needs of every child across the world. My new responsibility is to encourage districts to build more Kiwanis clubs in communities to help children in schools.

Getting to know
Profession: Retired educator
Hometown: Mt. Sterling
Children: Son Gaylen; four grandchildren
Favorite subject in school: Social studies
Hobbies: Public speaking, writing, meeting and listening to people
Book recommendation for board members: “Good to Great" by Jim Collins. I use a lot of his techniques.
Interesting fact: I promote positive thinking on my Facebook page. You do not get on my Facebook and do negative stuff. Once a week I try to post a positive message on how we can live better together. There’s no room for negativism now.