Anne Arundel’s Mark Bedell named Maryland Superintendent of the Year

Maryland’s superintendent of the year is Anne Arundel County school leader Mark Bedell.

The award is presented annually by the Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland following a vote by superintendents serving children across the state. It was announced late Thursday night.

Bedell said in a statement that he is humbled by the recognition from his peers. He’s in his fifth year leading Maryland’s fourth-largest school district. He credited his employees and the Board of Education for helping him build a school community where everyone can belong, grow and succeed.

“I am proud of what we’ve done and look forward to doing more in the coming years,” he said.

Bedell joined the district in June 2022 after leading the Kansas City public school system and oversaw steady growth in academic achievement and a reduction in the number of schools earning one and two stars on the Maryland School Report Card.

He oversaw a contentious two-phase school redistricting process that assigned thousands of students to new schools to reduce overcrowding. Some parents unhappy with the changes are fighting in court to reverse them.

The district also faces legal challenges from the Trump administration, conservative activists and some parents who claim the staff secretly allowed students to change their gender without their parents’ knowledge or consent.

School officials revised the district’s gender identity policy and have said they disagree with those allegations.

“Dr. Bedell has been absolutely relentless in his efforts to improve academic outcomes for all of our students regardless of their circumstances or situations,” board President Gloria Dent said in a statement. “The impact of the work he and his team have done in collaboration with our Board is clear in the data.”

Bedell also boosted the share of students taking Advanced Placement courses, increased the district’s student attendance rate, and dramatically reduced classroom teacher vacancies from nearly 300 his first year to 16 on the first day of school this year.

The school board in February extended his contract for another four years.

Bedell will now compete with school leaders from across the country for the National Superintendent of the Year award. A winner will be announced in February.