A new leader is settling into her role at the state’s sixth largest school district.

Gerrita Postlewait, who had been leading Lexington County School District 1 in an interim capacity since June following the departure of former superintendent Greg Little, had the temporary tag removed when she was hired as Little’s successor earlier this month.

She told the Chronicle she has been adjusting to her life in District 1, as she switches gears from short-term to long-term. While being the interim leader she was working with a 90-day horizon, which is tough, she said, when schools are typically on a 3-5 year cycle. 

Freshly hired, Postlewait will soon help to welcome and learn to work with three new school board members, as three seats on the board are guaranteed to change after the Nov. 8 election.

The superintendent said any time a new board member is integrated, the team dynamic changes. For her, the first step is for the board to come together, review their policies and determine how they want to work together to establish common goals.

Postelwait described in similar terms her current position getting to know the people the district serves .

She told the Chronicle that one of the biggest challenges with coming to a new district is coming to understand what members of the community want for their children. 

“What are their aspirations and dreams for their children?” she said. “One would think that would be the same everywhere, and in general terms it is, but there are some nuances and contextual understandings in each community that make the job a little different.”

She said she finds this understanding by exploring data about the students’ academics and visiting schools to create dialogue. 

Schools are often a passionate issue for members of the community, and superintendents are sure to frequently deal with upset people. When asked about how she addresses and mediates the concerns of parents and teachers, Postlewait said the anger often reflects the emotions of a hurt child.

“Nothing is more upsetting as a parent than to see your child hurting or to see your child not succeeding or to experience disappointment through your child's eyes.” she said.

In moments like these, Postlewait likes to reflect on a key learning moment of her own, which came from her parents

“My mother always said if you’re going to try and serve people you have to know yourself and get over yourself.” she said. “And my dad always said he had a saying: ‘No matter what, take the high road. There is much less traffic there and it's the right thing to do.’”

Postlewait said the district’s current priorities are the safety and security of the students, teachers and staff and closing the gap of learning loss that was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

When it comes to being a superintendent, Postlwait said she has two favorite days – the first day of school (seeing all of the buses rolling onto a campus and all the teachers preparing to greet their students) and graduation (being able to shake the hand of every graduating senior and to hear the plans for their future is one of her favorite things).

Postlewait’s departure from her previous superintendent position at the Charleston County School District gained a fair amount of media attention, with The Post and Courier reporting (and its editorial board wondering why) the district’s board decided to part ways with her in December 2021 and pay her $160,000 to be a consultant through the end of June. 

When asked about the reasoning behind the departure, Postlewait said she was unable to elaborate due to signing a non-disclosure agreement. She said she and the district parted with a deep respect for one another.

“I can tell you it boils down to probably the board wanting to go in one direction and I probably wasn't well suited to go in the direction that the board wanted to move in,” she said. “So boards have the right to choose a new leader and leaders have the right to say, ‘I don't think I'm the right person for this job.’”