Charles Ledbetter, superintendent of Pike Road, will become Pelham superintendent at end of year
When Charles Ledbetter looks back on his time as superintendent of Pike Road Schools, he remembers the speech given by the co-valedictorian of the 2020 class.
The graduating senior, who transferred to Pike Road that year, in her speech talked about how she wished that she had spent more time reaching out and getting to know her class. She talked about how she wished she had sooner joined the camaraderie of the school and the commitment that teachers had to students.
Ledbetter said that that’s what makes Pike Road Schools special in his 10-plus years of being a superintendent at various school systems: the commitment that everyone in the school system had to ensuring a great education.
“And, I don't mean just money, I mean, people and all who are committed to moving the process forward,” said Ledbetter.
Ledbetter explained that moving on to the Pelham school district at the end of the year made sense for him personally and professionally at the moment. His grandchildren, ages eight, nine and 11, live near there, but he also sees Pelham as a place to continue the work he’s been doing in Pike Road.
Pelham and Pike Road have similar demographics, said Ledbetter, and he’s in touch with the current superintendent of Pelham for many years so that they could share strategies for improvement. He said it’s a place he’s long kept his eye on.
Ledbetter has a corner of his office lined with bookshelves. He said that his favorite book on the shelf changes all the time, although he usually identifies himself as a history buff. His current favorite, a book on leadership, is not currently on the shelf because he’s studying it with a friend.
As superintendent of Pike Road Schools, Ledbetter was a part of the push to increase property taxes for education, which passed in early October. Although he’s leaving so soon after the approval of funding, Ledbetter said the funding was never about him—it was about funding the school curriculum.
“The push for funding isn't because I want funding,” said Ledbetter. “The push for funding is because to create the school system that we want to have here, we have to fund it to where we can do the things we need to be able to do.”
The increased funding, in Ledbetter’s view, “cemented the future” for Pike Road, which allowed him to feel that he could move on to something different.
Education is like “lawn care,” according to Ledbetter. While he feels like he’s accomplished a lot in his time there, he does not feel that he can say he accomplished everything because a new crop of students will begin coming up through the school system. Education cannot be wrapped up in a tight bow and handed off to the next superintendent, he said, because the work needed to maintain it never stops.
He explained he had goals to reach, but he also had to be happy with the trajectory and progress.
Ledbetter will finish the year with Pike Road because he and the board agreed that it was important that Pike Road have a new superintendent and not an interim one when Ledbetter left. They don’t want the work that happens in Pike Road to slow down at all during the transition.
While Ledbetter is leaving Pike Road, he emphasized that the commitment that the community has towards Pike Road education is not wavering. He believes that Pike Road will continue to grow and improve even after he leaves.
“And, I know that that that it's never been about me,” said Ledbetter. “It's always been about this school system. And that's going to continue.”
Jemma Stephenson is the children and education reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. She can be reached at jstephenson@gannett.com or 334-261-1569. Marty Roney contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Superintendent of Pike Road explains decision to move on to Pelham
