Charles M. Berkley, Superintendent of Lunenburg County Public Schools since
September 1, 2014, was named Region 8 Superintendent of the Year for 2020. Prior to becoming Superintendent, Berkley held a number of positions in the school division, including serving as an agriculture teacher, as secondary Assistant Principal, and as Director of
Operations/Maintenance/Transportation. During his tenure as Superintendent, the division has seen an increase in the on-time graduation rate and a decrease in the dropout rate. In addition, school attendance rates improved which allowed Lunenburg County Public Schools to meet the standards set by the Virginia Department of Education. Furthermore, the division was recognized in 2018-2019 as being one of the top school divisions for attendance. Together with his administrative team, Berkley implemented a Comprehensive Plan of Action that targets academics, behavior, and culture and which supports the “Profile of a Virginia Graduate.” This plan called for implementing the Virginia Tiered System of Supports to decrease behavioral referrals, establishing a financial process that provides consistency and transparency to all stakeholders, and putting steps in place to promote a positive division and school culture that ensures a safe and secure learning environment.
Other programs and procedures put in place in Lunenburg County Public Schools during
Berkley’s tenure include the following: transitioning to new online testing platforms for
assessments, such as Performance Matters; deploying Managed Security Services, which
provides 24/7 security network monitoring; and spearheading the creation and development of a new school website, Facebook account, and automated messaging system. "I feel so honored to be recognized in this way by my peers," states Berkley. "The Leadership Team and the staff here at Lunenburg County Public Schools deserve a lot of credit for this honor as well. Without the team effort that is displayed here in this school division, we would not be making strides in the quality of education that we are providing or doing any of the great things that we are in the areas of academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities."
Berkley was born and raised in Lunenburg County and is a 1975 graduate of Central of
Lunenburg High School. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in Animal
Science and Agriculture Education in 1980. He has completed graduate work with degrees from Virginia State University in Career & Technical Education and from National University in
Educational Leadership. He is married to Paige Bridgforth Berkley and has two sons (Chad and Hunter) one daughter (Taylor), as well as two grandsons (Cohen and Logan) and two
granddaughters (Cassidy and McKenzie).