Mark Bedell leaves impressive legacy as superintendent of Kansas City schools
An argument can be made that Dr. Mark Bedell will go down as one of the best superintendents in Kansas City history. At the very least, he didn’t break his promises, and the district he’s leaving is in better shape than the way he found it.
Now Bedell is heading back to Maryland, where Kansas City Public Schools found him more than six years ago.
Bedell announced on Thursday that he will leave Kansas City in August. He is returning to become superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, located just south of Baltimore, officials there announced.
KCPS was lucky to have Bedell remain at the helm longer than any other superintendent in the last 50 years. His longevity provided much-needed stability and the time needed to see his work through.
And there was a lot of work to do. When he arrived in 2016, enrollment in the district was shrinking, and academics were where they had been for many years — lagging behind other districts in the state.
Bedell fulfilled his promises to stay and is credited with being the difference-maker as the district this year successfully regained the full state accreditation it lost in 2011.
Before coming to Kansas City, Bedell had been the assistant superintendent of high schools for Baltimore County Schools. He’s a former resident of Anne Arundel County, so in essence, Bedell is leaving Kansas City and going home. He did what he came here to do.
He was a strong leader and what Kansas City needed at the time. He is leaving the district at a critical time, since plans are now in the works to close a significant number of schools to better accommodate a smaller districtwide enrollment. So the next superintendent the district hires needs to be at least as strong, committed and dedicated as Bedell has been for Kansas City,
Bedell will be missed, and we wish him well. His legacy of achievement has helped raise the bar for Kansas City schools and left a path forward for the district as it goes about choosing a new superintendent.
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 7:24 PM.