Former Waukee Schools Leader Tapped to Head Iowa Department of Education

Former Waukee Schools assistant superintendent Brad Buck, 44, has been chosen by Gov. Terry Branstad to serve as director of the Iowa Department of Education, according to Radio Iowa.

Buck has been the superintendent at Saydel Schools in rural Polk County for the past two years, the network said. He will leave the 1,300 student school district for his new post sometime in the next four weeks, the radio network said, replacing Jason Glass, who left the job to become a superintendent in Colorado.

Before leading the Saydel district, Buck was the assistant superintendent for school improvement in the Waukee School District.

Buck's first job as an educator was at Parkview Middle School in Ankeny in 1992. He was a science teacher. According to a statement from the governor, Buck as a “head start on understanding” how to implement the education reform package legislators passed this spring.

The Saydel district Buck has been leading secured a federal grant last year to plan for its new teacher leadership system. Buck and his wife live in Urbandale. They have six children.