In the heart of our community lies the heartbeat of our future – our schools. I am a passionate advocate for education and I have had the honor of representing District 7 as your School Board Member for the last 3 years. Over the last three years, our school system has been faced with various obstacles where I have advocated publically for our students and teachers. In particular, I fought to get students back into classrooms after we had a better understanding of Covid-19 to mitigate the learning loss and social emotional hardships that was affecting our students. I have pushed to increase the pay for all staff in the school system, including educational assistants, bus drivers, custodians and teachers. In the last 3 years, beginning teachers’ salaries have increased 24% and are finally competitive with surrounding counties. Our bus drivers are now some of the highest paid in the state, and our paraprofessionals have received significant raises each year. In order to attract and retain the best, we need to pay our teachers and support staff accordingly and I will continue to push for more. I believe that all full-time employees deserve insurance, and I will continue to work and push until they get it. I have been appointed Legislative Liaison for our School Board and I am in contact with our current state leaders about new legislation that will affect our children for years to come. In an ever- changing world, it is imperative that our schools prepare students for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I will work tirelessly to promote innovation in education, ensuring that our curriculum remains relevant and equips students with the skills necessary for success in the 21st century.
I am a true believer, and supporter of our public school system. As a Smith County native, I graduated from Smith County High School, I have worked as a Special Education assistant at SCHS, and all my children are graduates of, or currently enrolled in our Smith County Schools. 1 am keenly aware of the needs and expectations of our community for our school system. I have worked for the Smith County Sheriff’s Office for 17 years and am currently serving the citizens of the county as the Lieutenant Deputy over the Courthouse. I graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy as President of my class in 2012. I also spent 33 years competing and teaching martial arts. I won 23 state championships and 2 national championships. I was a member of the 2002, 2003 and 2005 USA National Kickboxing Team, where I won a Silver and Bronze medal in the World Championships. I was
inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2008. I also completed and graduated from the Smith County Leadership Program in 2017.
I have been married to Kristie Glover since 2018. Kristie has worked as an educator in Smith County for 24 years. Currently, she is the Math Specialist for the District and writes and manages the 21CCLC grants for our school system, which provides much needed before and after-school programs free of charge at all nine of our schools in the district.
Randy and Kristie are owners of River Pointe Ranch in South Carthage. We have four children that have all attended, or are still currently attending Smith County Schools. Between the four of them, they keep us busy as they represent, or have represented, Smith County Schools all across the state in a vast array of extracurricular activities including football, baseball, basketball, band, golf, bowling, Robotics Team and 4- H.
I invite you to join me on this journey towards a brighter future for our children. Together, we can build a school system that not only meets the needs of today but also anticipates the challenges of tomorrow. By investing in education, we invest in the prosperity of our community and the limitless potential of our youth
I promise that I will continue to have all the children of Smith County at heart when making any decisions as your School Board Member. I feel that over the last few years I have proven to have complete transparency and am available to all of the citizens in our district. I humbly ask for your support and your vote as the Republican nominee in the upcoming election. Together, let’s continue to support and make our schools the pride of our community and the foundation for a better tomorrow.
Early Voting for the Republican Primary Election will begin February 14, and the Primary Election will be March 5, 2024. Please feel free to contact me about any concerns you may have with the school system.
