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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Pelham Board of Education held a regularly scheduled board meeting on Monday, June 30, installing an interim superintendent, ceremonially recognizing a new board member and bidding farewell to the school system’s current superintendent.

Dr. Frank Costanzo was unanimously approved as Pelham City Schools interim superintendent beginning on Tuesday, July 1 during the meeting. Costanzo has served as the interim superintendent for a number of school systems previously, including the Pell City Schools system and the Trussville City Schools system. Costanzo was also previously the superintendent of Tuscaloosa County Schools.

“He has worked with Pelham City Schools before,” said Pelham BOE president Robert Plummer regarding Costanzo. “He has done teacher evaluations… He comes highly recommended from a lot of people.”

Coinciding with the appointment of Costanzo, the meeting was Dr. Chuck Ledbetter’s final day as the superintendent of PCS. Ledbetter gave parting remarks before entering retirement.

“What an honor it’s been to be the superintendent of Pelham City Schools,” Ledbetter said. “It has been a true joy to be a part of this school system. We have very special educators here and we have a community that supports great education and wants great education.”

Ledbetter went on to say that serving PCS particularly stood out within his distinguished career in the world of education.

“I’ve served in four school systems in my almost 17 years as a superintendent,” Ledbetter said. “This is the best school board I’ve ever worked with, and the reason is because everybody on this board cares about the school system… This board works very hard and works together. It’s a very special place and very special dynamic that we have here. The quality we have here is unmatched.”

Ledbetter had previously announced his retirement at a Pelham BOE meeting on Monday, April 28.

The meeting also saw Bob Lavett be formally recognized as the newest member of the board following his appointment in April. Lavett took the time to introduce himself to the public during board comments at the meeting.

“There’s been some coverage on the process of my appointment, but not on the person that was appointed,” Lavett said. “When I was in college, I fell in love with education, and it was a calling on my life. Educators, teachers and students have been the focus of my life. In 1990, I came to Pelham and everything changed for me. I found a community and a school (Pelham High School) where every single student was important and everything we did for the student was important. This is where I wanted to spend the rest of my career and the rest of my life.”

Lavett then outlined his career accomplishments within PCS, including serving as a teacher and coach at Pelham High School, where he then became assistant principal. This promotion, however, did not alter his commitment to serving the Pelham community, but only enhanced it.

“I continued to coach football for free, because it’s all about the students and that’s where my heart was,” Lavett said.

Lavett was then the principal of PHS for 14 years, a tenure he deemed “unheard of” in today’s climate. During his tenure in administration, Lavett has served on countless committees in education as well during his tenure.

“I then retired, and my heart was focused on helping (former PCS superintendent) Scott Cofield in any way I could,” Lavett continued. “I wanted this to be a great place, and it is. At this point in my life, I wanted to give back, and that’s why I applied and was appointed to this position.”

During the meeting, the board also approved 39 personnel items: 13 resignations/retirements and 26 employments for various positions throughout the system. The following new business items were also unanimously approved during the meeting:

– Recommendation to approve the 2025-2026 Policy Manual Changes- Code of Conduct

– Recommendation to approve the amendment of the Pelham High School Boys Basketball team field trip previously scheduled for Emerson, GA to Jackson, MS (retro) June 2025

– Recommendation to approve mediation agreement

– Recommendation to approve an amended agreement between Pelham City Schools and Glenwood, INC

– Recommendation to approve teachers from Pelham Oaks and Pelham Ridge Elementary to perform work at the Pelham City Schools Kindergarten Camp

– Recommendation to approve teachers to perform work at the Pelham City Schools Literacy Camp

The next Pelham BOE meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 28 at 6:30 p.m. For more information on the Pelham Board of Education, visit Pelhamcityschools.org/about_us/board_of_education.