Rebecca Bridal outlines student-centered agenda in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 superintendent interview

Rebecca Bridal, a candidate for superintendent of Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, told the school board she is student-centered, emphasizes collaborative leadership, and has experience with large-district operations.

Bridal said she has “served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and associate superintendent in a district that serves 38,000 students,” and that those roles exposed her to programs “from birth to 22,” including early childhood through transition programming. She told the board she is drawn to District 191’s mission, vision and core values and that she goes by “Becky.”

Bridal said strengthening a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is central to her approach to improving access and equity. “I really see that first layer of MTSS, the foundational tier 1 layer, as our promise to our students and families about what they can expect from us each and every day,” she said, adding that the framework guides “timely, data-driven responses to student need.”

On equity, Bridal described an equity decision-making protocol her team developed to ensure “all voices are heard,” and said students asked staff to change language from an “equity promise” to an “equity commitment” because “promises can be broken.” She said she will “lean into” conversations she does not fully understand and called herself “a lifelong learner.”

Bridal described a multi-step process she led to consolidate two leased transition-program sites for 18- to 22-year-old students into a single facility, resulting in the 2 Rivers Transition Program. She said the process included boundary changes, multiple family and staff touchpoints, community meetings, collaboration with city leaders who were initially unfamiliar with the program, and a naming process that involved staff, students and families. She said the city ultimately embraced the program and that it became “a place of great pride.”

Bridal gave specific examples of instructional improvement work. She described a coaching model used in middle schools that began with “15 coaching cycles” and about “5,000 referrals” in one year and later grew to “200 coaching cycles” with “600 referrals” through the following year’s second trimester. She attributed the change to the coaching and school-improvement processes she supported but did not claim a single causal factor.

On budgeting, Bridal said she reviewed the district’s comprehensive annual report for the 24-25 budget and observed what she described as “a healthy fund balance.” She said she has shared responsibility for budgets “of more than $500,000,000,” and that she aligns budget priorities with strategic priorities, works collaboratively with finance teams, board members and the community, and has experience with grant and title budgets as well as budget reduction processes.

Bridal described handling sensitive personnel changes by being present in buildings, coordinating with legal and communications staff about what could be shared, and prioritizing student safety. “I was there every day for two weeks to ensure that that change happened effectively,” she said, describing hands-on support during leadership transitions.

Board members asked Bridal what she would protect or prioritize during a transition; several cited support for the district’s pathways program, the AA degree partnership, continued focus on culturally responsive practices, and support for innovation by teachers and principals. Bridal closed by reiterating a focus on “building culture and leading learning” and said she would be honored to serve if selected.

The board told Bridal it will contact candidates after it completes deliberations.