Mark Bedell, Kansas City Public Schools’ longtime superintendent, to leave in August
Update: Here’s the district that hired Superintendent Mark Bedell away from Kansas City schools. Story here.
Mark Bedell, Kansas City Public Schools’ longest-serving superintendent in five decades, is resigning from the district after six years, officials announced Thursday.
Bedell — whose steady leadership has largely been credited with helping improve academic achievement and aiding the district this year in reaching full state accreditation after more than two decades — will resign effective Aug. 5. In a letter, Bedell did not provide a specific reason for his resignation, and only said that “the time has come for me to move on personally and professionally.”
“I know this announcement may come as a surprise,” Bedell wrote. “When the KCPS Board of Directors took a chance on me in 2016, I promised to move this district to full accreditation. Together, we increased our graduation rate from 68% to 78%. We increased the number of KCPS students taking Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual credit classes by 44% — and quintupled the number of students who received college credit.”
He also addressed the challenges the district and city continue to face: “There’s so much that is needed that’s beyond their control — and mine. The issues that have kept me up many nights are not ones I can solve as superintendent. I’m talking about racism, injustice, a lack of affordable housing, inequitable economic development practices, violence and other systemic issues that cannot be solved in our classrooms alone.”
District spokeswoman Elle Moxley told The Star that Bedell plans to share details about his plans during a press conference Friday morning.
Last year, the 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.
“Mark Bedell was a true change maker and educational hero. And a man of his word. He promised to place KCPS back on the path to greatness and he did,” said Missouri state Sen. Barbara Anne Washington. “He will be sorely missed, but I’m grateful he put steps and people in place to keep KCPS going forward.”
The 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.
Bedell, a native of Rochester, New York, worked for 12 years in the Houston Independent School District as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and school improvement officer. Before moving to Kansas City, he served as assistant superintendent for high schools at Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland.
He will leave KCPS during a crucial time, as it works to build off of its momentum gained from receiving full accreditation and earn community buy-in on a long-term restructuring plan. The district is considering closing and consolidating some under-enrolled and outdated schools in the coming years, so that it can update classrooms, expand programs and ensure all students have access to the same opportunities districtwide.
In a statement, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas called Bedell “one of the leading school administrators in the country.”
“Dr. Mark Bedell has transformed Kansas City Public Schools, regaining accreditation for our schools, improving the lives of thousands of children in our city, and providing stability in the position unknown to generations of Kansas Citians,” Lucas said. “His belief in our children and their potential is unmatched and his leadership in relation to COVID and racial reckoning helped shepherd our city through tough times. More than anything, he is an exceptional father, husband, and teacher. Kansas City will miss him. I will miss him even more. I wish him well.”
Many on Thursday applauded Bedell for bringing stability to Kansas City Public Schools, grateful that he served as superintendent for longer than any leader had in the past five decades.
With the growth of charter schools and as more families fled to suburban districts over the past couple of decades, KCPS enrollment fell by half. The district lost state accreditation, and over the past decade had been working to improve attendance and student achievement to regain it.
Now Bedell steps down from the district on a high note, after the Missouri State Board of Education in January granted it full accreditation. Community leaders said at the time that Bedell’s guidance helped the district meet state standards by accelerating student achievement, improving graduation rates and proving it is better preparing students for life after high school.
“He’s the superintendent who returned stability and credibility to the district,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker told The Star. “Dr. Bedell showed that credibility by restoring accreditation to KC schools.”
The achievement, officials say, should help the district boost its reputation, in hopes of retaining and attracting more families after seeing enrollment decline over the past couple of decades.
Kansas City now has an overstock of under-enrolled schools, officials say, and a need to revamp programming and expand services so they are accessible across all buildings. The district will be left to continue its long-term planning and determine how best to restructure the system.
Also under Bedell, the district has added or expanded several programs, such as the Middle College Program that helps young adults who dropped out prepare for post-secondary education and the workforce. It has expanded its early college program. And it’s opened the International Welcome Center for English language learners and immigrant students.
Bedell has recently prioritized lobbying to have state education laws changed so that schools can operate on more flexible hours, such as allowing students to attend school until 8 p.m. if they need to work or manage other responsibilities during the typical school day.
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 1:44 PM.
