By Emily Loughridge
Contributing Writer
After a month-long search, Piedmont Public Schools announced Dr. Drew Eichelberger as the school’s new superintendent. Dr. Eichelberger will begin his role this summer as he prepares for students to fill the halls this fall.
Dr. Eichelberger comes to PPS after said, in his eyes, PPS has a reputation of excellence in academics and extracurricular activities. He continued to say that the people he knows in the area have great pride for the schools and community.
“I look forward to the challenges that come with a growing district. Piedmont is an attractive place for many,” said Dr. Eichelberger. “I want to serve the community and make the district the best it can be.”
He continued to say that relationships are a significant part of education, which is why he wants to get to know the people in the school. One way in which he plans to form a relationship with the students and staff is to start each day at a different school for the first 21 days of the school year. After the first three weeks, he said his goal is to be in each school once a week for the first year.
As for the community of Piedmont, Dr. Eichelberger said he is looking forward to attending school and community events. He continued to say his plan is to reach out to local leaders to sit down and discuss how they can work together.
He has over 28 years of experience in education and 26 years of administration experience, in which he will use to serve the students, staff, and community of Piedmont according to a press release from PPS. Dr. Eichelberger has worked at Weatherford, Putnam City, and Bethany in multiple roles, including teacher, principal, executive director of the elementary school and superintendent.
“Dr. Eichelberger was selected after a thorough and engaging interview process,” continued the press release. “With help from the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA), the board selected Dr. Eichelberger from a competitive pool of candidates.”
A point of interest that Dr. Eichelberger brought to the table was his successful experience with researching and analyzing data, along with input from stakeholders, to make collaborative decisions. PPS stated that it is excited to see Dr. Eichelberger introduce this approach into the community of Piedmont and the school district.
“I have worked in some great school districts each with their unique strengths and challenges. There are things that we have done in other districts that might work in Piedmont. There is no need to fix things that aren’t broken,” said Dr. Eichelberger. “I want to learn why we do what we do and have a conversation about ways we can improve.”
