Lexington One hires Georgetown County schools chief as superintendent-in-waiting (2024)

LEXINGTON— Lexington One's school board voted April 16 to hire Keith Price, the current head of theGeorgetown County School District, as the school district's next superintendent.

Under the terms of the board's unanimous vote, Price will join Lexington County's largest school district July 1 as its "superintendent-elect" for one year, and then move into the full superintendent position on July 1, 2025, for a four year term.

A familiarity with South Carolina's education system and school funding structure made Price the right fit, board chair Anne Marie Green said after the meeting.

"I'm very excited to have Keith Price come be a part of our district," board member Katie McCown said. "We had parents come, staff come, principals weigh in, and it was overwhelming, the amount of positive feedback we got for him."

He'll replace Lexington One's current superintendent, Gerrita Postlewait, who took the district's top job in October 2022 after previously leading the Charleston County School District.

Postlewait, who received a positive evaluation from the board last year, had previously said that while she'd like to stay atop the district through the end of her five-year contract, her six decades in education might push her to step down before its end.

Such a departure was confirmed April 16, with Postlewait saying she was pleased about the board's decision to hire Price and lay the groundwork for a "smooth and seamless transition."

As superintendent-elect, Price is expected to work closely with Postlewait and other senior leaders, getting an understanding of the district's daily operations and gradually taking on more responsibilities until fully transitioning into the position.

He will make $210,000 during his year as superintendent-elect, and then $236,000 a year as superintendent. Postlewait is currently making $234,500 a year, after getting a raise in October.

Price was not in attendance at the April 16 meeting.

One of three finalists announced by Lexington One in March, Price has served as the Georgetown County district's superintendent since 2020. The other two finalists were superintendents in Virginia and Iowa.

Before taking the Georgetown post, Price had an extensive history in Columbia-area schools. Starting in 1996, he's worked as a teacher, principal and eventually assistant superintendent for secondary schools and athletics in the Richland Two school district, according to his resume.

Since moving to the Grand Strand, he's led the Georgetown district through challengeswith school safety this year, installing metal detectors and creating a security committee in the fall after a shooting outside a Georgetown High School football game.

The school board there gave Price an “excellent” evaluation in October 2022 before voting to extend his contract, The Post and Courier previously reported.

Price is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education from the University of South Carolina. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Clemson and a master’s degree from USC.