Meet the candidates for Fayette County School Board District 1 seat

Janet Greene, a business development manager in the healthcare industry, faces incumbent Marilyn Clark in the Nov. 7 general election for the Fayette County Public Schools board District 1 seat.

Clark, an economic inclusion manager at the University of Kentucky who previously held roles at FCPS and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, was appointed in January after Christy Morris resigned.

William Swope, Jr., a retired state fire marshal and former Lexington assistant fire chief, has left the race, according to Fayette County election records.

District 1 in west Fayette County pulls from areas roughly between Leestown and Harrodsburg roads.

Clark said poverty is a growing challenge for the school board.

Poverty leads to gaps in education, economic mobility, race and generational wealth, she said.

“Students are experiencing housing and food insecurities, homelessness and healthcare disparities,” Clark said. “Mental health is a concern not just for K-12 schools, but it is a growing concern for our entire community. These growing community issues need the appropriate community attention and supports.”

Greene said the district has many challenges including student mental health issues, classroom discipline, chronic truancy and a lack of proficiency in reading and math in many schools.

“I’m committed to making sure we have specific intervention services for students to continue to make up for the loss of learning during COVID,” she said.

Clark answered questions from the Herald-Leader in an email and interview. Greene answered questions by email.

MARILYN CLARK

Clark said she is committed to student success, and an important role as a school board member is to focus on student outcomes.

“As a board member, I will continue to advocate for and make informed decisions that are in the best interest of all students,” she said.

Since the school board appointed her to fill the District 1 vacancy in January, she said “the learning curve has been challenging but working together as a team has been rewarding and productive.”

Clark said she and other board members invested in students through additional support for programs like pre-school, gifted and talented, school health, visual and performing arts, multilingual services and dual credit.

“We were able to give teachers and staff historic and well-deserved compensation increases,” she said. “We added much needed staffing in human resources and technology to better serve our employees, students and families, and allocated additional resources to recruit, train and retain bus drivers, bus monitors and other support staff. “

For the first time, the board provided professional development for every employee in the district, she said.

FCPS will make significant investments in facilities this school year, she said.

There will be additional pre-school classrooms at Harrison Elementary, HVAC upgrades across the district, new construction for the RISE program, land for a new middle school and elementary campus in Masterson Station and the construction of the Mary Britton Middle School in the Polo Club area to relieve overcrowding at Edith J. Hayes Middle School.

The board approved an architectural firm to begin the programming and design for the new construction of Henry Clay High School. In 2025, the new Career and Technical Education center in the former Herald-Leader building will open.

“As the first Black female on the school board since integration, I feel a sense of urgency to be an advocate and role model for all students. Every child is special and deserving of a quality education,” she said.

Clark said she is uniquely qualified to continue in her school board seat. She was an employee of the district for over five years.

“As part of the district leadership team, I learned about the complexities of managing a school district through a maze of federal, state and local mandates juxtaposed against the individual needs of our students, staff and families,” said Clark.

“I have worked tirelessly in the business community on economic development and workforce issues. I want our community to be a great place to live, work, learn and play. Nothing is more important to our community success than a strong public school system, “ she said.

According to an October 10 Kentucky Registry of Election Finance Report, Clark had total receipts of $5,865, total expenditures of $1,229.32 and an ending balance of $4,635.68.

JANET GREENE

Early in Greene’s career in the health care industry, she said she worked in outreach and patient advocacy for the movement disorders program in the neurology department at the University of Kentucky.

She consulted with patients, collaborated with physicians regarding patient needs, and recruited and monitored neurological patient participation in clinical trials at UK.

In more recent years, she said she worked as “a business development manager for value based care for late stage kidney disease.”

“I will support the needs of teachers at all levels to become more effective in facilitating learning,” Greene said on her campaign website. “I am committed to working with our administrators, teachers and parents to establish a foundation that inspires students toward excellence. “

Her campaign website also said she want to ensure appropriate safety and mental health measures are implemented in schools, and that parents have a voice in their child’s education.

“Since the pandemic, academic achievement gaps have widened. I want to help find ways to make up for lost ground. It is vital for all students to be prepared to compete in a global society,” Greene said.

The school system’s fiscal policies must focus more on the needs of teachers and students in the classroom, Greene said.

Greene believes parental engagement is a key factor in student success.

“At the board level, we must enact policies that recognize the role of parents and guardians and create true partnerships with them for the sake of their children,” she said.

Teachers need the resources to perform their duties in the classroom. They should not have to pay out of their own pocket to provide those necessary resources, even if it comes at the expense of a trimmed down central office staff, she said.

An October 9 Kentucky Registry of Election Finance record showed Greene had a beginning balance of $4,741.29, total receipts of $6,250, total expenditures of $2,703.38 and an ending balance of $8,287.91.

Janet Greene

Age: 63

Work experience: Previously worked for a nonprofit and for the last 11 years worked in business development for the healthcare industry.

Board/organization experience: Served as a charter member of the Brain Restoration Center at the University of Kentucky and on the Board of Directors for the Parkinson’s Support Center of Kentuckiana. Active board member for Parkinson’s In Motion organization.

Family: Two children, Morgan, age 32, and Nicolas age 24.

Marilyn Clark

Age: 66

Work Experience: Economic inclusion manager at University of Kentucky; manager of economic development and supplier diversity at Fayette County Public Schools; minority business enterprise liaison at Lexington Fayette Urban County Government; vice president and station manager for WLEX-TV; worked at television stations in Dallas, Philadelphia and Birmingham.

Board/organization experience: Currently on the steering committee for the Women’s Business Enterprise Council Ohio River Valley serving Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia; Board of Directors for the Tristate Minority Supplier Development Council serving Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia; Former member of Board of Directors for the Lexington Center, Commerce Lexington, United Way, LexArts, Blue Grass Community Foundation and Black Achievers.

Other memberships: Member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; member of First Baptist Church Bracktown.

Family: Two children, Ranthony A.C. Edmonds and Vincent Clark.