Brad Buck Named Superintendent

Dr. Brad Buck, current Director of the Iowa Department of Education, will become Superintendent of the Cedar Rapids Community School District on July 1. Buck was approved by the Board of Education during a special meeting March 18, 2015. He will succeed Dr. Dave Benson who is retiring in June after a six-year tenure with the District.

“We are thrilled to welcome someone of Dr. Buck’s caliber as our superintendent,” said Mary Meisterling, Board President. “He brings a breadth of leadership experience in many areas such as early literacy, closing the achievement gap, and competency-based education. He is also well-versed in school finance and budgeting. He most closely matched the list of skills and attributes that our community members highlighted during the public forums and through the online input survey. He is truly a wonderful fit!”

Buck, 45, is already familiar with the school district having grown up in Cedar Rapids, graduating from Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School in 1987. He went on to earn an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Northern Iowa, and both a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from Iowa State University.

Buck began his career in education as a middle school science teacher in the Ankeny Community School District. He taught for five years before taking on a number of administrative roles in the Waukee, Hudson, and North Mahaska school districts. Buck was serving as Superintendent of the Saydel Community School District in 2013 when he was appointed by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as Director of the DE.

“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,” said Buck. 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 is a past president of the School Administrators of Iowa and the Iowa Association for Middle Level Educators. He is also a member of the Healthiest State Initiative Committee; the Governor’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Advisory Council Executive Committee; and the Iowa Core Commission. He and his wife, Traci, are the parents of six children.