Superintendent of School for the Deaf retiring, search for new leader begins

Morgan Matzen, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read

The superintendent for the South Dakota School for the Deaf, Kim Wadsworth, is retiring from her position at the end of May. A search has begun for the new leader.

Wadsworth has been at the South Dakota School for the Deaf since 1997 and has worked in deaf education for more than 35 years.

News of her retirement comes as a bill to change the title of the South Dakota School for the Deaf to the South Dakota Services for the Deaf is about to land on Gov. Kristi Noem’s desk.

Superintendent Kim Wadsworth works at her desk while wearing a clear face mask Nov. 19, 2020, at the South Dakota School for the Deaf. She has been in the position since March, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic came to South Dakota.
Superintendent Kim Wadsworth works at her desk while wearing a clear face mask Nov. 19, 2020, at the South Dakota School for the Deaf. She has been in the position since March, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic came to South Dakota.

Yet Board of Regents spokesperson Shuree Mortenson tells the Argus Leader a search is still underway for the next superintendent and the position will remain the same. The name change doesn’t affect any of the programming or services SDSD offers.

Wadsworth began her career in 1985, teaching at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. In 1997, she returned to South Dakota to work with the South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD) as an Outreach Program Consultant traveling to homes and school programs to educate parents and educators about the needs of deaf and hard of hearing children. She later became the SDSD Outreach Director and, in 2020, was selected as the school's superintendent.

"It has been a privilege spending my career with people dedicated to supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families," Wadsworth said in a news release. "South Dakota is fortunate to have such knowledgeable and passionate outreach and audiology teams, and I was honored to work among them."

More:Bill to change South Dakota School for Deaf to SD Services for Deaf passes first step

Wadsworth also holds certification with the Council on Education for the Deaf, was a longtime member of the South Dakota Special Education Advisory Panel, created the Ribbon of Service Partnership, and reinstated the SDSD Advisory Council.

"Kim Wadsworth has devoted her professional life to deaf and hard of hearing education," BOR executive director Brian Maher said in a news release. "She has assisted countless students and families, and we are grateful for the work she has done in our state."

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota School for the Deaf superintendent retiring