State education director tapped as CR Superintendent

Brad Buck, the director of the Iowa Department of Education, will be the next superintendent of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, the district said Wednesday at a special meeting.

The announcement comes after a three-month search process during which members of the Cedar Rapids school board declined to identify candidates for the position, citing concerns that the candidates would face repercussions in their current positions.

Unlike in past searches, the district did not hold any public forums with candidates before hiring the new superintendent.

Buck, 46, will replace retiring superintendent David Benson on July 1.ALSO READ: State colleagues praise Buck's work at head of Department of Education

The district agreed to a three-year contract with Buck, who will be paid an annual salary of $229,000 for the first year. The salary will be renegotiated after the first year.

Benson's salary was $229,104.

'As a native of Cedar Rapids and a proud graduate of Jefferson High School, I'm thrilled to return to my hometown in this role. It's clear to me that this is a school district that is committed to innovation and a vision of 'Excellence for All,' and I stand ready to be an integral part of delivering on that vision,' Buck said in a statement released through the IDOE after the announcement.

Buck was unavailable for comment Wednesday after the announcement was made.

In Cedar Rapids, Buck will be tasked with closing racial and socio-economic achievement gaps among students, according to the school board. Making the district more transparent and challenging traditional models of education also were among the school board's top goals for its next superintendent.

Community members at recent public forums have expressed similar wishes.

Board member Ann Rosenthal said community input was an important part of the decision. She said she has participated in three superintendent searches, and this one was both the most closed and had the highest number of qualified candidates.

'We also had a really great candidate pool, and a huge part of that was because it was going to be a confidential search,' she said.

School board President Mary Meisterling said more than 20 people were interested in the position. The board choose five finalists and interviewed the top three.

'All three requested confidentiality,' she said.

Board member Gary Anhalt said he's pleased a Cedar Rapids native will take the district's helm.

'Not only does he know Cedar Rapids and have roots here and is appreciative of our district, but he has an understanding of Iowa and the ins and outs of our education system,' he said.

Buck leaves the Department of Education less than two years after Gov. Terry Branstad appointed him in August 2013 to a four-year term. Buck helped implement Iowa's teacher leadership program — a key part of Branstad's 2013 education reform package — while director. Cedar Rapids schools started participating in the program this year.

He also became something of a lightning rod among school districts over the past few months when he carried out Branstad's orders to no longer grant waivers for districts wanting to start classes earlier than the week of Sept. 1.

Buck is a 1987 graduate of Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids. He previously served as superintendent of Saydel Community School District, in Des Moines, before moving to the IDOE.

Saydel has some 1,300 students. Cedar Rapids's district has 16,157 students.

He returned to the school this past October to discuss education issues with students.

Buck also spoke in December at the district's State of the District event. Benson announced his retirement five days later.

Tammy Wawro, the president of the Iowa State Education Association, was one of Buck's classmates at Jefferson. She said Buck would be a good fit in Cedar Rapids.

'One person isn't going to close an achievement gap, and I hope we don't set him up to be that one person,' Wawro said. 'But I think you create a climate for people to want to do anything they can for the district they work for.'

Dedric Doolin, president of the NAACP's Cedar Rapids branch, has been critical of the district's efforts to improve racial disparities in student discipline.

'The biggest question from our vantage point would be, how is he going to be able to address the issue of diversity and culture in the district?' Doolin said.

The district has been under investigation since January 2014 for disciplining black students at rates disproportionate to their percentage of school enrollment. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

Cedar Rapids Community School District Superintendent Contract (PDF) Cedar Rapids Community School District Superintendent Contract (Text)