Dr. Lane Ledbetter made his biggest priority clear during his first school board meeting on Monday, January 11 — to bring the community together.
After a week under his belt as CISD’s new superintendent, Dr. Ledbetter opened the board meeting stating how much he’s enjoyed refamiliarizing himself with the district. The Dragon alum stated how proud he is to put his own kids through the district.
“It’s been a tremendous start to the second semester,” Dr. Ledbetter says. “In a week they’ve been thriving in their classes. They’ve come home. They’re so excited about the kids and people they’ve met, the teachers that have engaged them in the classes. It’s living up to what I know it was when I was here, what the reputation is out there across the state of Texas and in the nation.”
Dr. Ledbetter went on to state he is aware of divisions created due to the community’s response to the Cultural Competence Action Plan. Dr. Ledbetter emphasized the only way the community is going to overcome its differences is by sitting down and talking to each other.
“We aren’t going to solve the problem in this district on social media,” Dr. Ledbetter says. “We’re not going to solve the problem through public comment. We’re not going to solve it in the courtroom. It’s going to be solved by bringing people together in this community and sitting down with the willingness to work together.”
Dr. Ledbetter then went into his superintendent’s report, laying out a two-month entry plan where he will visit each campus until February 5 and present a summary report during the board meeting on March 8. He also presented an update to COVID-19 in the district, saying that there are currently 81 active cases and more than 3,000 students are enrolled in the Dragon Virtual Academy.
“My hope is there is a desire among everyone to come to a productive solution — to create unity and community,” Dr. Ledbetter says. “Let’s move forward and celebrate the exciting and amazing things happening in Carroll ISD.”