SALT LAKE CITY – Dr. Timothy Gadson has officially moved to the Beehive State and is preparing to take on the job of Superintendent at the Salt Lake City School District. 

“I am excited to be here,” said Gadson. 

Dr. Gadson most recently worked at the Anoka Hennepin School District in Minnesota. Before that, he worked in Broward County, Florida and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  

His extensive work in education has focused on mental health and equity. 

EXCLUSIVE: @KSL5TV is the first TV station to sit down with the new superintendent of @slcschools . I asked Dr. Timothy Gadson about the district's tumultuous past year and what his plans are moving forward.

Hear what he has to say tonight at 10 p.m. pic.twitter.com/2VjW9mtohO

— Morgan Wolfe (@MorganWolfeKSL) June 27, 2021

He said he brings a useful perspective to a district that has been plagued with controversies over the last few years.  

Parents filed a lawsuit against SLCSD and the superintendent about in-person learning in December 2020. Several months later, police arrested a school board member in connection with a child pornography investigation.  

“I can only apologize for those things that have happened in the past, but I can’t change those things. How I lead is understanding that when there are mistakes, we learn from those mistakes,” Dr. Gadson said.  

With the new school year around the corner, Dr. Gadson is leading by example by focusing on the mental health of students and staff, building on the diversity work done in the area and forming plans to make sure students are going to be up to speed on education after a year of online learning.  

“The children are the number one priority, and they should be everyone’s number one priority in the district.” he said.

When asked about the historic number of failing grades in 2020, Gadson said they will be reflecting on education plans at every grade and in every school. Since it varies with age of students and types of learning, he said he intends to have a strong form of communication with principles and school board members.  

Open communication is going to be critical this upcoming year, he added.

“That’s how I lead and that’s how I expect others to lead,” said Dr. Gadson.

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