Ben Dalton awarded Superintendent of the Year

Superintendent Bergeson (right) presents Superintendent Dalton (left) with the Superintendent of the Year plaque. Prior to serving as the superintendent of Kane County School District, Dalton served as the superintendent of Garfield County School District. He was also a principal, vice principal and teacher before moving into the superintendency. Photo by Ty Gant.

“Superintendent Dalton … is well deserving of this reward, he’s represented us well.” Said Superintendent Larry Bergeson, of Washington County, on the morning of Thursday, September 8, as he presented Kane County’s Superintendent Ben Dalton with the Superintendent of the Year award. “We appreciate him for what he’s done as fellow superintendents; he’s very well respected, and we look forward to his continued work.”

Dalton has been superintendent since 2016 and had, for a time, presided over the Utah State Superintendents’ Association. According to Bergeson, there was no question that Dalton was the one to receive the award this year. The award is not given lightly - Superintendent Bergeson describes it as a “lengthy process, with a lot of legislation and a lot of [legislative bodies] with a lot of acronyms.” Dalton said in accepting the award, “I’m very humbled by this because, as Larry said, it’s elected from the superintendents of the state and I have great respect for everyone there; we’re all united in this common cause, and it’s great to be a part of that … I couldn’t ask for a better school board, and I appreciate the people of this district.” Dalton will now be considered for the National School Superintendent of the Year award through the AASA – The School Superintendents Association.

About Utah School Superintendents Association: For nearly a century, the school superintendents in Utah have worked together in an association to fully understand and analyze education issues and to promote student achievement, opportunity, and engagement. The current membership in the Utah School Superintendents Association includes forty- one school districts, the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB), the Utah State Office of Education (USBE), and four Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA) serving rural areas of Utah.