The Utah State Board of Education has announced that Brad Smith will be the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Smith, who is currently the superintendent of the Ogden City School District, was one of four finalists for the position who were interviewed in Salt Lake City last Thursday. From 2007 to 2011, Smith had served on the Ogden school board while working as an attorney.
The hiring process included input from over forty government, education, and business groups. In a statement from the state board of education, improvements in the Ogden school district under Smith’s leadership were a contributing factor in the decision to hire him.
“When Smith was appointed superintendent, the Ogden City School District was the lowest performing district in Utah by nearly every measure. Under his leadership, the district has seen significant improvements in math and English language arts proficiency rates, in addition to graduation rates,” the statement said.
Smith is a Salt Lake City native who earned a bachelor’s and a law degree at the University of Utah. He lives in Ogden with his wife and has three children.
