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SALT LAKE CITY — Brad Smith, former state superintendent of public instruction, said his reasons for leaving the Utah State Office of Education were mostly because of concerns over "style," not for health reasons.
Smith, who took the post 15 months ago, tendered his resignation to the Utah State Board of Education on Tuesday, and his departure was publicly announced Wednesday.
Sydnee Dickson, who previously served as deputy superintendent at the state education office, has filled the role of acting state superintendent of public instruction since Smith's took medical leave in January. The State School Board announced Thursday that Dickson has been appointed as interim superintendent until a permanent replacement for Smith is chosen.
Early last month, Smith began a 90-day medical leave. But troubles related to diabetes that prompted his temporary departure have "largely gone away," Smith said Thursday.
"As I was preparing to come back and just had some frank discussions with my bosses on the State Board of Education, the question was if I was a value add at this point," Smith told KSL Newsradio's Doug Wright. "After some very frank discussions and where people felt like we needed to go versus where I felt like we needed to go, it was just mutually concluded that probably I was not contributing in the way I'd like to anymore."
Smith didn't identify any specific issues that were points of division between him and the 15-member board, but he noted the difficulty in "getting the vectors aligned" as an administrator of Utah's complex education system.
"It really probably (was) related mostly to style and concerns over that," he said. "I believe in a results orientation. Our kids deserve a results orientation. We have to have a system that is focused on what are we producing, and if we're not producing what we want, we need to change what we're doing.
"When I'm more of a distraction than a help, then I think integrity demands that I recognize that and let someone else take their turn," he said.
State School Board Chairman David Crandall declined to comment on the reason's for Smith's resignation, but he said he was grateful for Smith's contributions.
"We appreciate his time in that position. I personally have a great deal of respect for him and wish him well," Crandall said.
Crandall said the board decided to keep Dickson in her current role while it focuses on the remaining weeks of the legislative session. At the end of the Legislature, the board will look at a transition plan for the superintendency. That may include a national search similar to the process of Smith's appointment, but Dickson may also be a candidate, he said.
The decision came after about two hours of deliberation during a closed meeting.
"Syd will be the interim until we find a replacement, depending on what the board wants to do," he said.
Prior to the closed session, Dickson and Scott Jones, outgoing associate superintendent over business and operations, proposed an alternate structure for administration at the state education office.
Brad Smith resigns as top education leader
Brad Smith announced his resignation Wednesday as state superintendent of public instruction after taking the job 15 months ago.Historically, the superintendency has included the state superintendent of public instruction, a deputy superintendent and three associate superintendents, who oversaw assessment and accountability, business and operations, and policy and communication.
The proposal would keep a state superintendent of public instruction, but employ two deputy superintendents — one over academics, and the other over operations. The leadership team would also include two associate superintendents — one over assessment, and the other over policies and plans.
Dickson said the proposed model is intended to provide clarity to leadership roles and allow more oversight of operations at the Utah State Office of Education.
"It should be clearly defined so that we know where to support the superintendent, so that we know all of the programmatic and operational functions have some oversight," Dickson said.
Crandall said the structure of state office leadership hasn't been modified in years, but he agreed with the need for greater oversight and accountability over the state office's operations.
"That's kind of been lacking in our organizational structure," he said. "We're looking at having that responsibility rest with somebody so that the executive superintendent is free to do some things outside that."
But board members praised those in current leadership roles for their work in improving efficiency.
Smith also expressed his confidence in those he appointed to leadership positions at the Utah State Office of Education.
"I would stack them up against any senior leadership team in any education department, not just anywhere in the United States, but anywhere in the world, literally," Smith said. "We have a group that is absolutely stellar."
Smith also noted that state education leaders have "turned a new leaf" with state lawmakers, and collaboration over education legislation and policy has improved.
"Over the years, that relationship has been marked by mutual distrust, a fair amount of animosity," he said. "I have to say that last year and this year, we have had very positive, good relations with the Legislature in a way that has allowed us to have conversations that needed to occur and have not."
The former state superintendent said he plans to take about a month off and is undecided about what his future employment plans are. But having practiced law for two decades, continuing on that path is "the most likely route," he said.
