Gerrita Postlewait came to Charleston in 2015 with an impressive track record in public schools and the nonprofit sector; she had worked with education, nonprofit and business leaders in South Carolina to create innovative solutions for struggling schools.
The new superintendent made it clear from the start that she was a reformer who was not afraid of making changes to improve the education that Charleston County School District children were receiving. In her first public address in her new role, Dr. Postlewait reminded administrators, teachers and community leaders that a school district is “a service agency,” and she vowed to push aside programs and practices that contributed to student failure.
In addition to the initial pushback she got from people angry over the way the School Board hired her — a problem completely beyond her control — she got early and frequent criticism from teachers and principals who didn’t like her willingness to shake things up.
The district had already embraced public school choice before she arrived, and it already was experiencing a downside: how, if not managed carefully, school choice can exacerbate existing racial and socioeconomic learning gaps. She identified that problem early on and worked to correct it — constantly meeting resistance, often from the very people whose communities would benefit the most from closing those gaps. It’s unfortunate that her ideas weren’t more widely embraced.
And now she’s gone. Because … well, who knows?
On Wednesday, after spending 90 minutes behind closed doors discussing a “personnel matter” in a hastily called special meeting in the middle of the Christmas break, the School Board voted 6-1 to accept Dr. Postlewait’s resignation. No discussion or explanation for the surprise departure, other than a clarification on when her resignation was effective (Jan. 2) and how long she would remain on the payroll (through June 30).
This was followed soon afterward by a written statement from Dr. Postlewait announcing her resignation, pledging to “do everything I can to ensure a smooth transition of leadership” and offering her best wishes to the board, the district and the students “for continued success.”
The sequence of events and the absence of explanation have all the markings of a forced departure. The vague non-answers board members have offered to reporters bolster that interpretation. This is, after all, the pattern we have seen time after time, in state and local government: A leader seems to be doing a good job, and suddenly she’s gone (and yes, there has been quite a string of shes who have departed lately), with no explanation. In some cases, we learn later that there was a legitimate reason to force her out; in other cases, we still don’t have a clue.
School Board member Lauren Herterich, who praises the “phenomenal job” Dr. Postlewait has done leading the district through the COVID-19 pandemic and says she “had a great time learning from her,” told us Thursday that Dr. Postlewait wasn’t forced out. She said the first she heard of a possible departure was Tuesday, when the meeting was called. Ms. Herterich said there was little if any discussion about why the superintendent was leaving — “we respected her decision.” Instead, she said, the board was focused on what would happen on Monday morning when the superintendent was gone.
We hope she’s reading the room correctly. But it’s not acceptable that we have to hope.
Even if the decision to leave was Dr. Postlewait's alone, and even if the board believed it had to allow Dr. Postlewait to explain why she was leaving mid-year and mid-contract, board members still had an obligation to tell us that, to assure us (assuming this is true) that she was not forced out.
And if it was indeed her decision alone, Dr. Postlewait owes us an explanation as well. No, appointed officials don't have the same obligation as elected officials to explain their decisions, but her statement didn't give even a general, nonspecific hint. She has been far too important a figure in our community to just take her leave suddenly and in a way that makes it look like she had no choice in the matter.
If she was forced out (one hint will be if her departure agreement includes a gag clause), then the School Board members need to realize that this information will eventually become public.
And when it does, the public's trust and support for those board members will plummet, even among voters who were happy to see Dr. Postlewait leave.
