15 Facts about Dr. Susan Bunting

Last week, Governor-elect John Carney tabbed Indian River School District superintendent Susan Bunting as the new secretary of Education. Bunting was born and raised in Selbyville, Delaware where she attended Selbyville High School. She received a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Delaware and became superintendent of Indian River School District–one of the state’s largest school districts serving more than 10,000 students–in July 2006.

Here are some more facts to get you more acquainted with Dr. Bunting.

• Attended Salem United Methodist Church for pre-kindergarten
• Attended Selbyville High School
• Earned a bachelor’s degree at American University in Washington, D.C.
• Taught third grade in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1971
• Began teaching at Indian River Middle School in 1977
• Was Supervisor of elementary education for Indian River School District for five years, then became Director of K12 education for ten.
• Elected as superintendent of Indian River School District in July 2006
• In 2012, Bunting became a top four finalist in race for National Superintendent of the Year (the first Delaware superintendent to do so)
• Is an avid reader (especially mysteries)
• Enjoys spending time with grandchildren, the outdoors and traveling to Pennsylvania and Arizona to visit family
• Co-created Indian River’s Leadership Institute, which has been recognized as a Superstar in Education by the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce
• Created Indian River’s Project V.I.L.L.A.G.E., the district’s program for economically challenged four-year-olds (which also won a Superstars in Education award)
• Is also a University of Delaware adjunct faculty member, and was honored as the recipient of UD’s College of Education & Human Development Outstanding Alumni Award
• Is a member of the Vision Coalition of Delaware’s Leadership Team, and one of the architects of Student Success 2025
• Has a philosophy of no exceptions nor excuses. She told the Sussex County Post: “I will not take an excuse of ‘those children’ or ‘kids can’t do it.’ It is our opportunity to find how to make every student successful. That is our job. Every child can maximize his or her potential if we facilitate that success. There are no exceptions; not for gender, not for race, not for ethnicity, not for any of the things on the list. We have a job. We have an opportunity to make every child be the best they can be.”

Related Topics: Delaware, John Carney, Secretary of Education, Susan Bunting