Clovis Christian superintendent leaving

CLOVIS — You can add Clovis Christian Schools to the list of area schools that will have a new superintendent when students return to class in the fall.

Superintendent Ladona Clayton confirmed to The News on Monday that she will be leaving the position at the end of the school year.

“I believe I fulfilled my calling here at Clovis Christian Schools,” Clayton said.

“It’s 10 years and I think that’s the best way I can state it ... It’s just time for me to seek a new direction, but I’m absolutely happy with the school.”

Clayton said she is not retiring and that she will be examining other employment opportunities both inside and outside the city of Clovis.

Clayton said she will consider applying for the now open Clovis Municipal Schools superintendent position, but it’s not the reason she is leaving CCS. She said she notified the CCS board of directors of her impending resignation on Jan. 18, a few days prior to CMS Superintendent Jody Balch’s public announcement that he would be retiring at the end of the school year.

“I prayed before I accepted this position and I’m praying about that (CMS) position,” Clayton said. “It’s not the only one, there’s others that I’m considering, but certainly I am considering that one.”

Clayton told The News that her 10 years at CCS have been some of the best during her 30-year career in education, pointing to the school’s financial standing, new high school and dual credit accreditation as some of the highlights of her tenure.

“We have a brand new high school that was just built. That’s probably the pinnacle for me because it was a goal I had for years,” Clayton said.

Adrienne Bratcher, president of the school’s board of directors, said she appreciated Clayton’s dedication to CCS over the past decade and the superintendent’s “servant’s heart.”

“It’s a little bittersweet,” Bratcher said. “I can understand coming from her that God’s leading her in a different direction and we have to understand that. However as a school, she’s been an administrator that we’ve known for so long and she’s done so much for the school that the thought of replacing her is initially hard to swallow.”

Bratcher said the school’s search for its next superintendent is ongoing, with an opportunity profile posted last week identifying the board’s preferred qualities for Clayton’s successor.

“We’re looking for someone who can come in and continue the path of high standards and educational excellence, as well as that individual is a leader for our teachers and our staff, so they also need to have a servant’s heart and demonstrate a love for Christian ministry,” Bratcher said.

Clayton said she will remember most of all the people she met during her 10 years at CCS “because I built incredibly strong relationships at every level.”

“With the students who I will hold dear to my heart forever, and with the families and with my faculty and staff. Everywhere I look it’s been about relationships and those relationships have strengthened me,” Clayton said.