T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS Ben Fletcher said public service is one of his callings, adding he put his name in for selection to the board in 2016 because he wanted to make a positive impact on the community. An Emerson product manager, Fletcher said he takes a practical, engineer-like approach to problem-solving as a board member.

Editor’s note: This is the second in a five-part series of interviews with the five candidates vying for a seat on the Marshalltown School Board.

“I try to look at myself as a problem-solver.”

With a background in engineering and a motivation for public service, Marshalltown School Board member Ben Fletcher said he’s ready for the next two years of making important decisions.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time so far, really understanding a lot more the workings of the school district,” the Emerson Process Management product manager said. “I’m willing to learn, I’m happy to learn.”

Since being selected to the board in October of 2016 to fill a vacancy left by Ben Stansberry, Fletcher said he’s been impressed with the district’s community outreach.

“I liked how we went about the vision and mission process, how the community was engaged,” he said, adding district Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte has done a good job of outreach on projects like the five-year strategic plan. “I think that’s something the district’s done a good job of … to have goals, to have plans in place in a medium- and long-term sense.”

In July, the board came together to discuss the 2017-18 goals for itself as well as Schutte, and Fletcher said he liked the targets that were set out.

“At the board level, something we’ve decided we want to get a bit better at or change up is how we use our committee system, how we communicate with each other,” he said, adding the district has done a good job of being transparent.

Communication and implementation of the strategic plan is also a priority for Fletcher. That plan is set to be released by Oct. 1.

“Going forward, as soon as we get the strategic plan completed, it’s all about implementing what’s on that plan,” he said.

Figuring out how to stem the number of families open enrolling out of the district is another goal, as are making upgrades to the district’s facilities.

“The strategic plan has items we think are directly targeted at trying to help that problem,” Fletcher said of open enrollment.

As with all of the state’s school districts, Marshalltown is impacted by changes from the state legislature. One major change for the coming year involves collective bargaining.

“The state has made some changes to collective bargaining, we have to be prepared to live in that reality,” Fletcher said. “We know we’ve got some big things on our plate for the next couple of years.”

Phase II of the Marshalltown High School Roundhouse Project has also been a topic of residents’ interest recently.

“It feels like Phase II has gone pretty well,” Fletcher said, despite the first round of bidding on the project not going as planned. Another round of bidding is forthcoming, and he said he looks forward to moving forward on the project.

Within the Marshalltown area, he said programs like Mid-Iowa Community Action’s “Spread the Word, Read by Third!” have good focus.

“I think there’s a lot of good work going on there,” Fletcher said. “The expansion of preschool I think is a great thing; the staff at the schools have worked with MICA to make sure students are registered [for kindergarten], or get them into preschool.”

He said the district has also offered good options to credit-deficient and at-risk students, adding the focus should continue to be on reducing the numbers of both.

Fletcher said he and his wife, Danielle, like being involved in community activities. Both enjoy playing recreational sports through the city.

“This is our home, we’re committed to Marshalltown,” he said, adding of his decision to put his name up for consideration to fill the board vacancy last year “I want this next generation of folks in marshalltown to be engaged and to participate and be informed, so I figured I ought to take the opportunity to do it.”

Another reason Fletcher said he’s running to retain his seat is that he sees public service as a virtue.

“I value the work that local government does,” he said. “The public schools are a huge factor in how successful Marshalltown as a whole is going to be.”

The Marshalltown School Board election is set for Sept. 12.

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Contact Adam Sodders at (641) 753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com