Lexington SC School District Reveals Superintendent Finalists

Education Finalists Revealed for Lexington 1’s Future Superintendent. Here’s Who’s in the Running

By HERE NEWS | Updated March 22, 2024 8:13 AM

Lexington County’s largest school district has zeroed in on three candidates to eventually replace its current superintendent. The Lexington 1 school board unanimously voted Tuesday to move forward with three finalists for its newly created superintendent-elect position, revealing those candidates publicly two days later.

Candidates Revealed

The board voted earlier this year to transition its opening for a deputy superintendent to hire someone who will be on hand to take over when Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait retires. Postlewait, who was hired in 2022, has said she intends to serve the district of more than 27,000 students through the end of her current contract, which runs through 2027, but that she has been in education for more than 50 years and her career is likely winding down in the near future.

The three candidates who emerged from the application process, which started in January, are Chris Ballenger, Keith Price, and Eric Slater. While the vote on the finalists was unanimous, the board did debate shortly after coming out of an executive session to discuss the candidates. Referring to the candidates by assigned numbers, the board mentioned four as strong possibilities before settling on the three finalists.

“I thought it was a great palette of candidates,” said board member Brent Powers. “I always enjoy the interview process because you get to hear about what’s happening in different districts. But in this process, we heard about not just districts in the state, but outside of the state. And so hearing about education and some of the struggles that superintendents are having across the nation, it was just very affirming with some of the things we’ve worked through.”

“It was a very diverse slate, as well, like you said, from different states,” responded board member Michael Anderson. Board Chair Anne Marie Green noted that the community will have a chance to meet the candidates after the district’s spring break, which is April 1-5. Per a news release, that public meeting is set for April 8 from 5 to 6 p.m.

Meet the Finalists

Chris Ballenger

Ballenger is currently the superintendent of Virginia’s Warren County Public Schools, which serve more than 5,000 students in an area about an hour-and-a-half west of Washington, D.C. Before coming to Warren County in 2020, he served for three years as assistant superintendent in another Virginia school district and for 13 years as superintendent in a school district in Oklahoma, where he started his career in education in 2000, working as a physical education teacher, coach, athletic director, and principal on his way to taking the district’s top job. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Southwestern College, along with a master’s degree in educational leadership studies and a bachelor’s in physical education/health and safety, both from Oklahoma State University.

Keith Price

Since 2020, Price has been the superintendent of South Carolina’s Georgetown County Public Schools, which serve more than 8,000 students in that area along the Palmetto State coastline. He previously served for six years as assistant superintendent for secondary schools and athletics in the Richland 2 school district, for three years as principal of Blythewood High School, and for four years as principal at E.L. Wright Middle School, both in Richland 2. He has worked in education since 1996, teaching math before moving into administration. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in education at the University of South Carolina, from which he also holds an education specialist degree and a master’s in education administration. He has a bachelor’s in secondary education from Clemson University.

Erin Slater

Slater is the superintendent for Iowa’s Fort Madison Community School District, where she has served since 2016. That district has fewer than 2,000 students. She previously served as an assistant superintendent, director of K-12 curriculum and instruction, director of elementary education, and principal at two school districts in Illinois. She has been in education since 1995. She holds three degrees from Northern Iowa University, including a doctorate and master’s in educational administration and education specialist degree. She also holds a bachelor’s in elementary education from the University of Iowa.

This story was originally published on March 22, 2024, 5:30 AM.

Jordan Lawrence

Jordan Lawrence is a reporter for The State covering Lexington County. He has worked for newspapers in the Columbia area for more than a decade, having previously served as the lead editor for Free Times and the Lexington County Chronicle. He has won several South Carolina Press Association Awards, including recognition for breaking news reporting, business reporting, and arts and entertainment writing.

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