The members of Down Home Haywood have voted to endorse Chuck Francis for Haywood County School Board Chair.
Down Home Haywood members are deeply invested in our local communities. Not only do we live here and work here, but many of us are raising our children and grandchildren here. The presence of children in our lives makes us forward-looking and committed to our county’s future.
We have been heartened and encouraged by the many new candidates running for Haywood County School Board this year. In fact, our members have endorsed many of them and are excited by the diversity, the intelligence, and the freshness they will collectively bring to the board as important decisions are made.
Chuck Francis, however, is not a new candidate. Chuck has been the chair of the Haywood County School Board for 16 years and is seeking re-election in 2020. We believe that this experience, combined with his demonstrated openness to new ideas as well as his desire to learn and grow, makes him the perfect candidate to continue to lead us forward.
In our interview with Chuck, we were struck by his dedication to Haywood County schools, teachers, and children. Chuck is a father and a grandfather; his own daughter is a local teacher. From his experience and from these connections, Chuck knows the “ins and outs” of the Haywood school system and the important role the school board plays.
It is, however, Chuck’s leadership style that stands out to us and secured our endorsement. Chuck believes that a successful board chair is someone who is committed to listening and offering guidance to the board as a whole. Both Chuck’s insightful responses to our member’s questions and his demonstrated leadership while concerns about racism within our schools were raised this summer, are evidence to us that Chuck is interested in listening, learning, being challenged, and finding solutions to move our schools towards a better future.
Down Home members in Haywood County will be voting for Chuck Francis for Haywood County Board of Education Chair. We are committed to telling everyone we know about Chuck and why we need him in office to represent us. Will you help?
You can help mobilize your community to support Chuck and candidates like him by volunteering for Down Home’s Relational Voter Turnout Project. We will give you everything you need to activate your community.
