Here’s the district that hired Superintendent Mark Bedell away from Kansas City schools
Update: Superintendent Mark Bedell explains why he’s leaving Kansas City schools for Maryland. Story here.
Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell is resigning from the district to accept the top leadership position at a school system in Maryland.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools, based in Annapolis, announced that its school board has selected Bedell as its next superintendent and plans to make a formal appointment at a special meeting next week.
Bedell, a former resident of the county, had announced earlier Thursday that he would resign from KCPS, without revealing where he was headed next. He served as superintendent for six years, making him the district’s longest-serving leader in five decades.
His resignation takes effect on Aug. 5.
The Anne Arundel County school district serves more than 83,000 students in about 130 schools. Kansas City Public Schools has roughly 14,000 students.
The district’s school board next week is expected to approve a four-year contract for Bedell, beginning on July 1. While Bedell relocates to Maryland, an acting superintendent will serve from July until Aug. 8, according to a news release.
“Our Board is thrilled to welcome Dr. Bedell to Anne Arundel County as our new Superintendent of Schools,” board President Joanna Tobin said in the release. “Dr. Bedell brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and innovative practices to this position, along with an impressive record of student success and achievement. We look forward to working with him to ensure that all our students receive a world class education.”
Bedell has been praised for his leadership in Kansas City, being credited with helping raise academic achievement scores and graduation rates — culminating in Missouri granting the district full accreditation in January for the first time in two decades.
“After the Missouri State Board of Education restored our accreditation in January, I emphasized that the work would continue — and it will,” Bedell said in a letter on Thursday. “What we have built over the last six years is a solid foundation of support for our students and families. I am leaving strong people and programs in place, and I trust them to keep moving KCPS forward.”
Bedell previously served as a school improvement officer for the Houston Independent School District and as the assistant superintendent for high schools for Baltimore County Public Schools, not far from Annapolis.
In Maryland, he will replace George Arlotto, who has served as superintendent in Anne Arundel County since 2014 and worked for the district for 16 years.
“Dr. Bedell stood out as the candidate with the energy, experience, and understanding of the school system needed to lead AACPS through the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead and was the Board’s unanimous selection,” district officials said.
Last year, the Kansas City school board approved a new three-year contract for Bedell, raising his salary to $282,000. Bedell, who had never led a district before arriving in Kansas City, was the district’s 27th superintendent in 45 years. His contract was set to run through June 30, 2024.
The Kansas City school board unanimously voted to select Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Collier as the district’s interim superintendent for the 2022-23 school year. Collier has served as an educator in Kansas City Public Schools for 22 years, including as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, chief human resource officer and deputy superintendent.
The Star’s Glenn Rice contributed reporting.
