The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County tonight unanimously voted to reappoint Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell to a second four-year term leading the fourth largest school district in Maryland.
Dr. Bedell was first appointed as Superintendent in June 2022 and began his duties two months later. During his first four years, Dr. Bedell has overseen the district’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic, two phases of comprehensive redistricting and increases in test scores and access to advanced coursework by all students.
“When we hired Dr. Bedell, we wanted a Superintendent who could build on what we had here in Anne Arundel County and move our school district from good to great,” Board President Gloria Dent said. “The relationships Dr. Bedell has created among our many partners and in the community and the work he and his team have done to create better learning environments for all of our students have us in a better place than we were four years ago. I look forward to even better things in the next four years.”
Dr. Bedell’s work has also resulted in the implementation of an alternative vehicle program that has helped to eliminate bus driver vacancies, a dramatic reduction in staff vacancies, particularly among classroom teachers and the launch of new high-quality curricula in elementary school math and language arts. Additionally, school climate survey results have risen over the last four years and chronic absenteeism has dropped significantly.
“When I arrived four years ago, I said that I believed this school district could be a premier school district in the United States,” Dr. Bedell said. “We have taken significant steps toward doing exactly that and I am proud of what our team has accomplished. There is a lot more to do, though, and I am excited about working with everyone in this district to do it over the next four years.”
The reappointment is contingent on the successful completion of negotiations on a formal contract.