Why Franklin Crockett Is Running for Cumberland County Board of Education

For nearly seven years, Franklin Crockett’s job has placed him inside Cumberland County Schools, from elementary and middle schools to high school campuses across the district.

Crockett, a deputy with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office who serves as a school resource officer, is currently assigned to Pauline Jones High School. He said that experience has given him a firsthand look at the challenges facing students and educators.

The 45-year-old Virginia native came to the area through the military, where he served first as a cook and later as a military police officer. Before becoming a school resource officer, Crockett also worked  with programs supporting the children of military families while  stationed at Fort Drum, New York.

His connection to Cumberland County Schools extends beyond his work. Crockett is the father of two daughters in the district, a 10-year-old fifth grader at Stedman Elementary School, and a 6-year-old first grader at Stedman Primary School.

Now seeking one of three at-large seats on the Cumberland County Board of Education, Crockett said working directly in schools has allowed him to hear concerns from students and educators and see the challenges they face firsthand. He said that experience is one of the primary reasons he decided to run for the board.

What are the top two issues the Board of Education should focus on over the next four years? How would you approach them?

My two top priorities would be student achievement and recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and staff.

Everything we do as a board should ultimately improve the education students receive. That means looking carefully at academic performance, identifying where students are struggling, and making sure schools have the resources, strong leadership, interventions, and instructional support they need.

At the same time, we cannot improve student achievement without excellent teachers in our classrooms. I would want the board to examine compensation, working conditions, professional support, school climate, and unnecessary burdens that make good educators leave.

My approach would be to set clear, measurable goals, regularly review the data, listen to the people working directly with students, and hold the administration accountable for demonstrating progress.

Cumberland County Schools has faced difficult decisions involving school closures, facility maintenance, and consolidation. What principles would guide your decision-making when evaluating future facility needs?

School closures and consolidations are some of the most difficult decisions a board can make because schools are more than just buildings; they are part of their communities.

My decisions would be guided by several factors: student safety, enrollment trends, the condition and cost of maintaining facilities, educational opportunities for students, transportation, long-term financial responsibility, and the effect on the surrounding community.

How can Cumberland County Schools best support students with disabilities and ensure families have confidence in the district’s special education services?

Families of students with disabilities need to know that their children are receiving the services they are legally entitled to and, more importantly, that their children are valued members of our schools.

The board’s responsibility is to make sure the district has qualified special education teachers, support staff, appropriate training, manageable caseloads, and systems that ensure [Individualized Education Program (IEP)] and other required services are being provided consistently.

Student enrollment has declined in recent years. What role, if any, do you believe the Board of Education should play in attracting and retaining students and families in Cumberland County Schools?

I believe the board’s role is to create schools that families want to be in. Families have more educational options today, including charter schools, private schools, homeschooling, and other programs. We cannot simply assume families will choose their neighborhood public schools.

We need strong academics, safe and orderly schools, excellent teachers, quality after-school activities, career and technical education, advanced courses, specialized programs, and good communication with parents.

The district should also examine why families are leaving. We need to ask departing families what influenced their decision and look honestly at that information.

I also believe Cumberland County needs to do a better job of telling its success stories. There are outstanding teachers, programs, students, and opportunities throughout the district that families may not know about.

Lastly, the goal should not simply be increasing a number. It should be earning families’ trust so they see Cumberland County Schools as the best educational choice for their children.

What steps can the Board of Education take to recruit, support, and retain high-quality teachers and staff?

Recruiting is important, but retention has to receive just as much attention. If we constantly recruit employees only to lose experienced teachers and staff, we are not solving the problem.

Compensation matters, and the board should examine every opportunity available locally to remain competitive. Employees also leave because of working conditions, lack of support, discipline concerns, excessive paperwork, burnout, or feeling that their voices are not heard.

I would want the district to regularly examine employee retention data and exit information so we can understand why people are leaving rather than guessing.

We should strengthen mentoring for new teachers, provide meaningful professional development and support, ensure strong school leadership, recognize excellent employees, reduce unnecessary administrative burdens where possible, and make sure teachers have the support necessary to maintain their classrooms.

What are your views on year-round schools? What factors would you consider when making decisions about expanding or maintaining year-round calendars?

I would not approach year-round schools with a predetermined answer that they are always good or always bad. The first question should be: Is the calendar producing better outcomes for students?

I would look at academic performance, attendance, student and teacher well-being, transportation, operational costs, staffing, family preferences, childcare challenges, after-school activities, and whether the schedule is helping to address learning loss.

Different communities may also have different needs, so I would be cautious about assuming that one calendar is appropriate for every school.

If a year-round program is working well, families support it, and the data shows that students are benefiting, there may be good reason to maintain or expand it. But if the evidence does not show meaningful benefits, the School Board should be willing to reconsider. The calendar should serve students, not the other way around.

Cumberland County Schools currently has several schools identified by the state as low-performing. What role should the Board of Education play in improving student outcomes at those schools? What strategies would you prioritize?

The board should not attempt to micromanage individual classrooms, but it absolutely has a responsibility to establish expectations, provide resources, monitor progress, and hold the superintendent accountable for improving low-performing schools.

The first thing I would want is an honest diagnostic. We need to understand why a school is struggling because the solution may not be the same at every school. I would examine teacher vacancies and turnover, school leadership, attendance, discipline, student growth, class sizes, instructional resources, intervention programs, and whether students are entering significantly below grade level.

Then, I would want specific improvement goals with measurable benchmarks throughout the year instead of simply waiting for state test results at the end of the year to discover whether something worked.

I would prioritize strong principals, experienced and effective teachers, support for reading and mathematics, tutoring and intervention programs, safe and orderly classrooms, and meaningful partnerships with families.

Lastly, and most importantly, we cannot allow the label “low-performing” to become an excuse for low expectations. Students attending these schools deserve the same opportunity to receive an excellent education as students anywhere else in Cumberland County.