FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) has selected Robbie Fletcher as the state’s next education commissioner.
Fletcher, the current superintendent of Lawrence County Schools, will serve as the chief state school officer and head of the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) starting on July 1, pending confirmation by the Kentucky Senate.
The commissioner of education oversees daily operations of the Kentucky Department of Education and acts as superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind, the Kentucky School for the Deaf and the 50 area technology centers.
Fletcher has been the superintendent of Lawrence County since 2014. Prior to that, he served as principal of Sheldon Clark High School in Martin County from 2009 to 2014 and as principal of Warfield Middle School in Martin County from 2005 to 2009. Fletcher started his career in 1996 as a math and science teacher before becoming the assistant principal at Inez Middle School in Martin County in 2004.
He earned his doctorate and his superintendent certification from Morehead State University. He earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Kentucky in 2002 and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Morehead State University in 1996.
Fletcher replaces Jason Glass who announced in August 2023 he was resigning the job and leaving the state. Deputy Commissioner Robin Fields Kinney has been serving as interim commissioner.
—By Jacqueline Pitts, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
