Board selects Mark Bagley as VWCS supt.

VW independent/submitted information

The Van Wert City Board of Education plans to approve a three-year contract to employ Mark Bagley as the district’s next superintendent, effective August 1. Bagley, who is currently Van Wert Middle School principal, will replace retiring Superintendent Vicki Brunn, who has served the Van Wert City School District in that position for the past two years. 

The Board of Education initiated a superintendent search in January, receiving assistance in the process from K-12 Business Consulting Inc., a superintendent search firm. 

After developing a superintendent profile that was based on input received during six staff/community focus group sessions and from survey responses from 107 parents, community members, teachers, administrators, support staff members, and students, the school board reviewed the credentials of 16 applicants, many of whom were recruited. 

Board interviews with eight semifinal candidates were conducted on March 2 and 3. On March 12, three candidates were invited back for second-round interviews. Before the board interviews, a committee of approximately 50 district residents and employees had the opportunity to ask each candidate questions during a meet-and-greet session. Participants then offered feedback on each candidate to the board. 

“On behalf of the Van Wert City Schools Board of Education, I am excited to welcome Mark Bagley as the next superintendent of Van Wert City Schools,” said Board President Anthony Adams. “This has been a very difficult decision, due to the quality of our applicants. 

“In collaboration with the input we received from our community participants, teachers, staff, and administrative team, we are confident Mark’s passion for learning and his dedication to maximizing every student’s success will serve our district well,” Adams added. 

Bagley has educational leadership experiences as principal at Ohio-City Liberty Elementary School and assistant principal and principal at Van Wert Middle School. He began his teaching career at Ottoville before teaching junior high-middle school math at Van Wert Middle School. 

Bagley is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, a past president and board member of the YMCA in Van Wert, and a member of the Centurion Club. He has several successful coaching experiences, including head basketball coach at Van Wert and head track coach at Ottoville. Bagley has also taken several mission trips in the United States. 

Bagley is a 1993 graduate of Taylor University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. He then earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Dayton in 2004. He completed the Superintendent Licensure Program through the University of Dayton in 2015. 

Bagley and his wife, Rachelle, live in Van Wert and are the proud parents of two children: Drew, who attends Taylor University, and Maria, a freshman at Van Wert High School. 

“I am extremely honored to have been selected as the next superintendent of Van Wert City Schools,” Bagley said. “Van Wert has a long tradition of excellence and I am looking forward to the opportunity of working collaboratively to take an already great school district to even higher levels.”