In its last act, KC school board reviews superintendent contract, keeps mum on result
In its final act before a changing of the guard Wednesday night, the Kansas City school board went behind closed doors to consider renewing Superintendent Mark Bedell’s contract.
When they emerged, they would not say whether they had come to any final decisions. Any details on the contract may be revealed within 72 hours, officials said.
The evening marked the final time the board would meet with nine members. A state law requiring all school boards to have seven members meant the board was reduced by two positions.
After the closed session, the new board was sworn in before a packed audience in the board meeting room Wednesday night. Of the seven members, five are newcomers.
Six incumbents did not run in the April 2 election. The one incumbent who faced opposition lost his seat. Two other incumbents, Pattie Mansur and Jennifer Wolfsie, ran unopposed as at-large members. On Wednesday, Mansur was elected as the new president of the board.
The new members are:
▪ Rita Marie Cortes, executive director of the Jewish Heritage Foundation of Greater Kansas City, who defeated incumbent Matthew Oates for the Sub-district 1 seat.
▪ Nathaniel (Nate) Hogan, a general manager of HealtheAthlete, who ran unopposed in Sub-district 2. He was elected vice president of the board Wednesday night.
▪ Manuel (Manny) R. Abarca IV, a former committeeman of Kansas City’s 12th Ward, who ran unopposed in Sub-district 3.
▪ Marvia Jones, an adjunct psychology professor at Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City. She was one of four write-in candidates in Sub-district 4 and received 602 votes. That result is unofficial; the Kansas City Board of Elections expects to certify the results on Monday.
▪ Mark Wasserstrom, 69, a retired Kansas City lawyer claimed the Sub-district 5 seat.
Candidates who ran for the school board, including those who won the election, said they agreed that Bedell’s contract should be handled by the old guard since it’s that board that has worked with Bedell.
Bedell came to Kansas City in 2016, becoming the district’s 27th superintendent in 45 years. His current contract, renewed in August 2017, expires in June 2020. The contract in negotiation would not kick in until July 2020.
In the three years that he’s been leading KCPS, the district has expanded its full-day pre-kindergarten program and launched a mentoring program for district students. And for the first time in 30 years, the provisionally accredited district saw its state Annual Performance Report score reach into the full accreditation range. This year the district saw its highest APR score ever.
Bedell’s original contract pays him $225,000 per year in salary, plus other benefits and a retention bonus due at the end of three years. If the new board decided to terminate Bedell without cause, the district would be required to give him a lump sum payment equal to 12 months of compensation and benefits, which would amount to nearly $300,000.
This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 10:00 PM.
