Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Superintendent Announces Retirement

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Monday, officials at the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District announced that Superintendent Randall Clegg would cede the reins at the end of this school year, on June 30. The announcement comes just weeks after the Board of Education gave Clegg mixed marks on his annual review.

Clegg is a Milwaukee native. He has served in public education for 35 years, 28 as superintendent. According to a Star Tribune article in 2008, he began his career in 1978, after graduating with a bachelor's in music from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He started as a band director at the DeSoto Area School District in Wisconsin. From there he moved to Iowa, where he served as principal, athletics director and superintendent in various districts from 1983 to 2008. 

He took over for retiring Superintendent Ben Kanninen with the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage District on July 1, 2008. 

At the time, then-chair Vicki Roy said Clegg's most valuable asset was experience.

"He has a track record," she said. "He has 23 years of experience ... The match is really good as far as looking for someone that had been involved with diversity and declining enrollment and economic straits."

Monday, Clegg told his staff that it was a difficult decision but he felt the time was right. He believed it was prudent to make the announcement now so the board could have time to search for a replacement.

In a formal statement, School Board Chair Ron Hill thanked Clegg on behalf of himself and the other board members, adding that the board is "very pleased" with the current direction of the district.

"He has always been focused on our most important mission: academic achievement and success for all students," Hill said. 

Clegg was responsible for several major initiatives while with the district, such as opening magnet schools, curriculum improvements, and reinstating free, full-day kindergarten. However, the last six months of Clegg's career have been marred by controversy. In March, the district came under fire after former Human Resources director Tania Chance abruptly left the district—with a $250,000 payout. It was later revealed that Chance was given the severance payment in exchange for dropping a complaint filed against Clegg.

The payment and perception of secrecy enraged many parents and teachers, who showed up at a March meeting to protest en masse, route: {:controller=>"articles", :action=>"show", :id=>"harsh-words-fly-at-school-board-residents-react-to-255-000-severance-package"} -->. The Star Tribune has predicted that the controversy will become a deciding factor in the