By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Pelham City Schools Board of Education held a specially called board meeting on Monday, May 5 to discuss the search for a superintendent after the retirement of Pelham City Schools superintendent Chuck Ledbetter.

Ledbetter had previously announced his retirement at a Pelham BOE meeting on Monday, April 28. His retirement will become effective on Monday, June 30.

“To comply with applicable Alabama law, a notice of this vacancy will be posted for 30 days,” said Angie Hester, the president of the Pelham BOE. “The notice will contain a description of the job, the required qualifications, information regarding salary and instructions on how to apply and where to obtain and submit an application.”

Potential applicants for the position will have until Monday, June 9 to apply. The board intends to complete the process no later than the end of June.

After laying out the parameters for the job, the board reviewed the process used to hire Ledbetter to ensure it was up to date for the upcoming superintendent search, including the job’s description. The board also reviewed the results of a recent survey on the state of the PCS system during the meeting.

“(The) top three priorities for the next superintendent to focus on, (according to the survey) are recruiting, employing and retaining top quality staff, student growth and achievement for all learners and academic programs that meet a wide variety of students needs and interests,” Hester said.

Hester also outlined the common themes from the survey on who the next superintendent should be.

“The common themes are (someone who) loves Pelham and is invested in the community,” Hester said. “Someone that communicates well both internally and in the community.”

Public comments at the meeting covered a variety of topics, all with the goal of improving the school system as it prepares for a new superintendent.

For more information on the Pelham Board of Education, visit Pelhamcityschools.org/about_us/board_of_education.