Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan superintendent to retire at school year's end

The leader of the the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district — the state's third-largest district — has announced she will step down from her position at the end of the academic year.

Mary Kreger has led the south metro school district of 30,000 students for six years, and spent 35 years in education. Much of that time was in special education; she was the district's special education director for 13 years before becoming superintendent.

"The time is right for me to retire in June. I look forward to having more time for my family and friends," Kreger said in an e-mail. "[Being] superintendent is more than a job, it's a lifestyle."

Kreger said that in her time as superintendent, she's most proud of "bringing the most caring, dedicated and inspiring people together to support the students, staff and families of District 196."

Kreger began her tenure as superintendent during a period of district budget cuts, and worked to earn voters' support for an operating levy referendum that funded the hiring of more teachers and support for student mental health, the district said in a news release.

She also created the district's equity and inclusion department and guided teachers and students through the COVID-19 pandemic — a period that proved the most challenging in her six years as superintendent.

"As a district, we did the best we could with the situation we were presented with," she said, adding that schools are still facing the effects of the lost academic and social time.

The district is growing by recognizing students' needs and finding ways to help each of them grow, she said.

She helped the district pass a bond referendum in May 2023 that will fund $493 million in capital improvements, including a new elementary school and new middle school, along with renovations and a 300-student addition at Rosemount High School.

Kreger brought about the district's change from a balanced literacy to a structured literacy approach, which is now required as part of the Read Act passed by the Legislature last year.

Before arriving at District 196, Kreger spent 13 years as a special education teacher, coordinator and supervisor for the South Washington County district. She began her career as a substitute teacher in the Minneapolis, Lakeville and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan districts.