Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell was named the 2027 Superintendent of the Year by the Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland during the organization’s conference this past week.
Bedell, who joined Anne Arundel in 2022 from Kansas City Public Schools, told the Capital Gazette that his heart was racing when he learned he had won the award. He said it wouldn’t have been possible without his family, his fellow Board of Education members, district staff, teachers, students and the community at large.
“I’ve been a superintendent for 10 years. It’s a big deal,” he said. “I don’t take it for granted, and it’s even more special because it’s my peers who voted.”
The award is voted on by public school superintendents across the state. It is presented annually to a Maryland superintendent who demonstrates excellence in educational leadership, communication, professionalism and community involvement, according to a Thursday news release.
During his four-year tenure, Bedell oversaw a decrease in chronic absenteeism, increases in scores on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program tests and the administration of the PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, PSAT-NMSQT and SAT free of charge.
But for him, the award is a culmination of more than just the work done.
“We can all talk about what the data looks like and what the progress has looked like over four years, but it’s also the relationships [with the community], the advocacy and really trying to fight for us to be able to do our jobs at a high level,” he said.
Bedell said he is most proud of removing prerequisite barriers for students to take Advanced Placement classes and dual-enrollment courses with Anne Arundel Community College.
During a presentation last week, Bedell said that the number of students taking dual-enrollment courses nearly tripled from 881 in the 2021-2022 school year to 2,413 last year.
Students scoring a 3 or more on the AP exam also drastically increased. About 10,797 students achieved that feat last year compared to 5,646 in the 2021-2022 school year.
AP test takers in the district who are Black, Hispanic and qualify for free and reduced meals increased by 122%, 121% and 193%, respectively, over the past four years.
“When you get that kind of access, normally your scores would decline,” Bedell said. “But we got all these brilliant kids here in Anne Arundel County who weren’t being given access.”
Increasing teacher starting salary has also been a highlight for Bedell. He said it helped drastically reduce teacher vacancies from 283 in 2022, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, to 16 on the first day of school this year.
State law required the minimum starting salaries for teachers to be $60,000 starting July 1. However, Anne Arundel reached that goal in 2024, and the minimum this year is $63,091, according to state data.
“If you don’t have the strong educators, I don’t care how many kids we want to put in AP classes, they’re not going to be successful,” Bedell said.
In June, the Anne Arundel County Board of Education unanimously approved Bedell’s second contract, which will last until June 30, 2030. He said his goals for the next four years are to improve the middle school experience, reduce the number of two-star-rated schools and continue to prepare students for an ever-changing workforce.
“I’ve always shot for the moon, and generally we land on some stars,” Bedell said. “That means we’re going to leave it better than what it was.”
The award means Bedell will now compete for the School Superintendents Association’s National Superintendent of the Year award, which will be announced in February.
“I have no expectations of that,” Bedell said about the national award. “I’m happy with where I am. This is an honor for somebody like me, and what I’ve been through in my life. I don’t need anymore. I’m happy with where I am.”
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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