Candidate questionnaire: Bill Fletcher, District 9 school board hopeful

Name: Bill Fletcher

Age: 49

Office: Beaufort County Board of Education, District 9-Bluffton

Challengers: Chris Epps, Bridgette Frazier, Christina Gwozdz

Number of years living in the area you seek to represent: 18

Family: Wife, Cheryl, and four children ages 11, 13, 15 and 17

Education: B.A., Washington Bible College

Current occupation/employer: Mortgage broker, president of UniSource Mortgage Services, Inc.

Summary of employment, military and volunteer history: Former teacher, coach and athletic director at Faith Christian School in Sterling, Va. Former employee of Choice Mortgage Corporation, Nationwide Mortgage and VISA ePay, church ministry participant and former deacon and elder of Grace Community Church on Hilton Head Island, volunteer coach for PALS and leadership team president for a local chapter of Business Networking International.

Please list all public offices to which you've been elected, when and where: None

Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office and when: None

Other prior political and government experience: None

Key endorsements you've received: None

Contributions: $500

Expenditures: $1,662.75, including own contributions

Highest contributor: Billy Gray-$300

Why are you running for this office?

There has been an undeniable erosion of trust between the current board/superintendent and our community over the last 12 months. As an eighteen-year resident of Beaufort County, it pains me to see the anger and resentment that exists, yet I fully understand the “why” behind it.

As someone who has worked directly with many of our residents for nearly two decades, I have worked hard to establish relationships of trust between myself and our citizens. If elected, I intend to do everything within my power to help “bridge the gap” of trust that currently exists between our Board and community.

This can only be accomplished through effective communication, as well as working collaboratively and proactively with our stakeholders. Our district needs someone who has a proven record of listening to others, is proficient at problem-solving, and puts the best interests of our students at the forefront of every decision that is made.

As a parent of four children who has been actively engaged in making sure they succeed in the classroom, I have a very personal perspective and interest in seeing that our students receive the best education possible.

In fact, I am the only candidate for District 9 who has children attending schools in our district. Our students, educators, and citizens, deserve to have a representative who truly understands that Board decisions affect all of us in one way or another.

What should the board do if its proposed 1 percent educational sales tax does not pass?

Most likely, the Board will need to re-evaluate and prioritize the most critical capital needs and put those items on a traditional bond referendum.

In my opinion, the 1 percent sales tax is a far better method to finance the capital needs of the district, but in my discussions with many voters, they simply do not fully understand how this option works. As I’ve discussed in a previous surveys/forums, voters in other counties within the state, such as Horry and Aiken, have successfully and overwhelmingly approved similar referendums to address the capital needs of their districts.

What do you see as the district’s biggest strength and weakness in serving students?

The biggest strength is our educators who are working diligently to put our students on a path of academic success. We know that their efforts are making a difference as we see improvements in achievement that are nearly across the board.

On-time high school graduation rates continue to improve (all high schools now exceed 80 percent), high school students are receiving college scholarships that continue to reach all-time highs, and the achievement gap is narrowing, slowly but surely.

There is more work and improvement to be done, but we are moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, the biggest weakness is the lack of faith and trust our community has in district leadership, and, often times, it is this lack of faith and trust that overshadows the positive things that are happening in our classrooms each and every day.

What specific steps will you take to make government more open and accessible to the public?

With the exception of what happens in executive session, I think our district does a fairly decent job of being open and accessible. Financial reports and audit results are available online, the schedules for committee and board meetings are published well in advance, town hall meetings are taking place, and, for those who cannot attend board meetings, those meetings are recorded and made available to the public.

In my opinion, we need a more engaged citizenry which will not only benefit our district, but our entire community.

This engagement must take place at the grass-roots level. In the 10 months since I announced my candidacy, I have found that people are more than willing to ask questions because they trust me listen and give them accurate information.

I have already attended or hosted several events that allow citizens the opportunity to approach me, share their concerns, ideas, and recommendations. If elected, I intend on doing the exact same thing I’m doing now... being accessible. It’s an effective and simple way to keep myself accountable to the community.

Finally, I am hoping that more open interaction with the public will help to foster a “We/Us” perspective vs. a “Me/They” mentality. After Hurricane Matthew, the press and social media were replete with stories of how our community banded together to assist others. It was a shining moment for our county, and it is was a wonderful example of what happens when we come together for a common purpose.

I wonder what would happen if we united with the same energy and enthusiasm for our students and teachers? What could we achieve together?

What is another top issue you would address if elected, and how?

Effective and timely communication is critical. Without it, we have disorganization, misinformation, and chaos.

In speaking with both educators and parents, there is a bit of a disconnect when it comes to communication from district leadership to our teachers and families. The aftermath of Hurricane Matthew highlighted some of these issues. Imagine my surprise that teachers have informed me that they received more information/updates from me via social media in the days following the hurricane than they did from the district.

Emails were being sent by district officials, but some individuals did not have access to email because of lost electrical service which affected servers. I am not a communications expert, but I would think that with all of the technology we are incorporating into the classrooms, we could certainly look at implementing some type of mobile app that keeps employees, students, parents, and the public informed as to what is happening within the district. Notifications could be received concerning school closings, town hall meetings, board meeting agendas, informational sessions, etc.

The district has recently updated/improved their website to make it more “user friendly” with plenty of information, however, the challenge is that some families cannot afford internet service, or navigate the site well enough to find what answers they are looking for. By contrast, the vast majority of people have some type of mobile device, even those who receive public assistance, and this would allow the information to flow directly to them, rather than them trying to locate information on a website or social media.

Finally, communication must be proactive, not reactive. It does no good to simply announce a decision by the board that affects thousands of students and their families, put out a press release, and have the public (and many teachers) taken completely by surprise (i.e. the change in school start times).

To be fair, I support the decision to change the start times, but there needs to be a dramatically increased effort in actively soliciting the input from our families on substantive issues. Our citizens deserve to have the opportunity to know, in advance, when issues of this magnitude are being deliberated so that they may have their voices heard.

Have you ever experienced any of the following: been convicted of a felony; been disciplined by a professional licensing board or organization; had an ethics violation filed against you?

No

Have you ever filed for bankruptcy; been delinquent on your federal, state or local taxes? If so, please give the details.

Voluntary Petition for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy was filed and approved in 2011 due to an unprecedented decline in household income as a result of the recession. Re-payment plan was successfully completed in 2014. Taxes have always been paid.

Are there any personal details about you that voters would be interested in knowing?

Between managing a business and keeping up with my four children, my schedule and life are wonderfully crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Voters can be assured that my desire to be elected to this position is not because I’m seeking to fill extra time on my hands.

My singular focus is to provide meaningful and effective representation for our citizens as we work together, in a collaborative effort, for the best interests of our students, and I am willing to make the sacrifices that are necessary for the fulfillment of that endeavor.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Candidate questionnaire: Bill Fletcher, District 9 school board hopeful."