By Kathy Oswalt-Forsythe
On July 1, a familiar face returns to Schoolcraft Schools as the district’s new superintendent: Nate Ledlow.
Ledlow, a 1998 Schoolcraft graduate, presented an impressive resume to the school board. He graduated from WMU with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 2002, a master’s degree in educational leadership in 2009 and a PhD in educational leadership in 2022.
Ledlow has been in education for 21 years with the last 15 of those years in school administration. Prior to returning to Schoolcraft, he served as the middle school principal and high school athletic director for Eau Claire Public Schools (2009-2011). After Eau Claire, he was hired to be the high school principal for Watervliet Public Schools (2011-2015). Next, Ledlow left Watervliet to take an assistant principal’s job at Portage Northern High School. It was at Portage Northern where he worked for 9 years, first as the assistant principal (2015-2022) and then as high school principal (2022-2024). Ledlow’s areas of interests include working with at-risk students, equitable grading practices, social emotional learning, and school safety.
Ledlow is “humbled and honored” to be returning to his roots. “To have the opportunity to come back to my hometown, a place that means so much to me, and be the superintendent of schools is something dreams are made of. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to get started. We are going to do great things!”
Jennifer Gottschalk, Schoolcraft Board of Education president, is confident in Ledlow and his ability to move Schoolcraft Schools forward. “His professional experiences and extensive education, combined with his thorough understanding of the rich history and traditions of our community as an SCS graduate, have prepared him to be our superintendent. Please welcome Dr. Nate Ledlow to the Schoolcraft Community Schools team.”
