The Board of Trustees has issued the following statement.
Dear Employees, Key Communicators, and Constituents:
We recently heard from a number of people asking us to explain why we extended the contract for the our Superintendent, Dr. Dana T. Bedden, after watching him work for seven months.
It boiled down to stability and leadership. In the resolution passed in March, we explained that economic conditions and decreases in state funding for public education will impact the district for several years. We felt it was critical that the District maintain strong, stable management and leadership during this time. Research has proven that stability in the Superintendent’s position improves the education of students in the district.
Furthermore, it is common knowledge that superintendents come and go with regularity in districts around the country and transitions are quite lengthy, expensive and disruptive. Since Dr. Bedden arrived, we have set out on a course with specific goals and strategies. We evaluated Dr. Bedden’s capabilities, vision and performance, and determined that he has met or is making significant progress on each goal. Therefore, we decided to send a strong message that we are going to stay the course. A contract extension was a logical step in our efforts to maintain stability and strong leadership in our district and Dr. Bedden agreed to it without an increase in salary.
Thank you for your continued support of IISD.
Sincerely,
Valerie Jones, Board President 2010-2011
Heather Ashley, Board President 2011-2012
