Anne Arundel Board Unanimously Votes To Reappoint Superintendent

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The Board of Education for the Anne Arundel County Public Schools unanimously voted in favor on Wednesday to reappoint Mark Bedell for a second term as the county's superintendent.

The decision puts Bedell at the helm of Maryland's fourth-largest school district for another four years.

“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," Board President Gloria Dent, said in a release.

"I look forward to even better things in the next four years.”

Bedell was appointed to serve as superintendent in June 2022 and has not only overseen the district's emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also managed two phases of redistricting for schools in Annapolis, Arundel, Broadneck, Crofton, Severna Park, South River and Southern clusters.

In its decision, the board touted Bedell's efforts to axe bus driver and staff vacancies, as well as work done to correct chronic absenteeism and improve elementary school math and language arts programs.

“When I arrived four years ago, I said that I believed this school district could be a premier school district in the United States,” 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.”

More recently, Bedell oversaw the handling of the Feb. 4 shooting at Freetown Elementary School, where a second-grade student suffered an injury to their hand when a firearm accidentally discharged inside a classroom.

Bedell's reappointment is contingent on the successful completion of negotiations for a formal contract.