Lexington 1 school board picks new superintendent. Here’s what we know.
Three months after the Lexington 1 superintendent resigned, the school board on Tuesday named a new chief of the district’s schools.
The board didn’t look far, hiring interim superintendent Gerrita Postlewait to the job on a five-year contract. The vote to hire Postlewait was unanimous. Her contract will go into effect on Monday, Oct. 10.
Since July 1, Postlewait has served as the district’s interim superintendent while the Lexington 1 school board worked with the S.C. School Boards Association to search for a new full-time superintendent. She previously served as the superintendent for the Charleston school system for six years.
She replaces Greg Little, who stepped down as superintendent in June after six years of running the school district that covers the central part of Lexington County.
In a statement, board chair Anne Marie Green said Postlewait was asked to consider taking the job full-time, after board members received positive feedback about how she was handling the job.
“Overwhelmingly, the Lexington District One family said they wanted a skilled communicator who demonstrates a strong background in curriculum and instruction and is committed to ensuring strong accountability toward student achievement results,” Green said.
“Our students have urgent needs, and the board kept that urgency at the forefront of the search. Learning is back on track after the upheaval of the last few years, and we must have a leader who will strengthen our educational system at every level to maximize every second for each student in Lexington District One.”
In a statement released by the school district, Postlewait said she is excited to take up the post.
“I am honored to officially join such a dynamic school district,” Postlewait said. “I am excited to serve the students and staff, as we continue this important work.”
Little led the district during the COVID-19 pandemic and the construction of multiple schools as part of a $365 million bond issue. He left the district for a job with the state’s technical college system.
Postlewait had been superintendent in Charleston County since 2015. She received a contract extension from the Charleston school board in 2018 that would have seen her continue in the job until the end of the 2023-24 school year. But a split school board voted to accept Postlewait’s resignation in December, the middle of the 2021-22 school year, WCSC-TV reported. A Georgetown native, Postlewait was previously superintendent of Horry County schools for 10 years.
The district’s press release credited Postlewait with helping to restore financial stability by changing budgeting practices in Charleston County, which led the fund balance to grow by more than $135 million. She also oversaw increased graduation rates, test scores, and access to gifted and talented programs and enhanced art offerings in the Lowcountry school district.
Postlewait was also superintendent in Horry County from 1996 to 2006, and Wetzel County, West Virginia, from 1986 to 1992.
In Horry County, she oversaw the implementation of the district’s 4-K and International Baccalaureate programs, as well as the opening of the Early College High School and two career academies, Lexington 1 said. The district built several new schools during her tenure, and she led strategic planning.
Four other candidates were considered for the job, including two currently working in the central Lexington County school district. Heath Branham is the principal of Centerville Elementary School in Gilbert, and Lucas Clamp was the first principal of River Bluff High School and is currently the district’s secondary schools director.
Of the two other candidates, Ron Garner is the superintendent of the Spartanburg 1 school district, and Nakia Hardy is the deputy superintendent of schools in Durham, N.C.
This story was originally published October 4, 2022 at 7:48 PM.
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