At a special meeting on May 7, the Inver Grove Heights Schools (ISD 199) School Board voted unanimously to offer current superintendent Dave Bernhardson a one-year contract extension. The meeting gave the board an opportunity to discuss options for appointing a superintendent for the 2026-2027 school year. 

In December, Superintendent Bernhardson shared his intent to retire at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. The school board conducted a superintendent search but decided not to move forward with the process and outcome due to lack of a strong board consensus.

At their May 7 meeting, the board discussed two options: offering Superintendent Bernhardson an extension of his contract for one more year or partnering with an association to conduct an external interim superintendent search. 

The board voted to offer Superintendent Bernhardson the position of superintendent for the 2026-2027 school year to allow the board time for internal work before they restart their search for the district's next superintendent. The board and Superintendent Bernhardson must arrive at a mutually agreed upon contract for a one-year term that will require ratification by the superintendent and approval by the school board.

The school board will take the next steps to enter into contract negotiations with Superintendent Bernhardson for a one-year contract. The Superintendent Search webpage, www.isd199.org/suptsearch, will continue to be updated in order to keep the community and staff informed about the process.