Baltimore's Child Baltimore's Child
Three Baltimore area school systems will start the summer searching for or with new leaders.
On May 23, Baltimore County Public Schools announced that chief academic officer Verletta White will serve an interim superintendent for the next school year. White, a BCPS alumna herself, replaces Dr. S. Dallas Dance, whose unexpected resignation takes effect at the end of this school year. Dance served five years in the position.
Earlier this month, the school board solicited resumes and letters of interest for the job of interim superintendent and received “numerous emails, phone calls and input” from the community, says Mychael Dickerson, BCPS’s chief communications officer.
At this point, the board “has not released any information about long term or final superintendent,” Dickerson says.
Dr. Renee Foose retired as superintended of Howard County Public Schools in early May after serving five years in the role. Her tenure was marked with tension between her and the school board, as well as the teachers union.
In July, the role of superintendent will be filled by an interim, who will serve for one year, says John White, the school system’s communications director. During that year, HCPS will establish criteria for the search for a permanent replacement, including whether it will be a statewide or nationwide search, and set “opportunities for public input, establish a schedule (for input) all along the way, including opportunities with the finalist,” he said.
Finally, Dr. Barbara McGraw Edmondson, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, announced that she would leave in June to take a job with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) in Arlington, VA. Edmonson had served as superintended since 2010.The archdiocese planned a national search for her replacement, which would be led by school chancellor James Sellinger.
