BCPS Seeks Interim Superintendent Candidates

TOWSON, MD – Upon receiving the resignation of Superintendent Dallas Dance, the Baltimore County Board of Education has put out the call for those interested in serving as interim superintendent.

Dance's last day will be June 30, after five years heading up the 25th largest school system in the U.S.

The interim superintendent will be expected to begin in July.

Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest and resume. The letter should include the candidate's qualifications and vision for the school system, which includes 112,000 students.

Submit information by 4:45 p.m. on Monday, May 8, to Debi Decker, senior executive assistant to the Board, at ddecker2@bcps.org.

See Also: Superintendent Resigns From Baltimore County Public Schools

“Under the leadership of the outgoing superintendent, Dr. S. Dallas Dance, Baltimore County Public Schools has continued to be a strong and stable school system,” Board Chair Edward J. Gilliss said in a statement. “We deeply appreciate Dr. Dance’s dedicated service and many contributions. The board looks forward to identifying an interim leader for the school system who is interested in working with us to build on the advances of the past five years and to move the school system forward.”

Baltimore County Public Schools has a budget of $1.87 billion and encompasses 173 schools, centers, and programs with a staff of more than 18,000 employees, including more than 9,000 teachers, officials said.

Here is a summary of where the school system stands, provided by Baltimore County Public Schools:

Twenty-three BCPS schools are Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools, and 20 of those have earned National Blue Ribbon honors.

Each year, approximately half of the county’s high schools are ranked among the best in the nation.

The BCPS graduation rate has risen by 5.4 percentage points since 2012, reaching 89.2 percent for the class of 2016. At the same time, the school system has been able to eliminate the graduation rate gap between black and white students.

Guided by its Blueprint 2.0 strategic plan, BCPS has garnered national and even international attention for its recent initiatives to facilitate student-centered learning through S.T.A.T. (Students and Teachers Accessing Technology) and Passport (which begins Spanish language instruction in Grade 4). BCPS has received multiple Digital Innovation Learning Awards from Digital Promise and Ed Surge; was named a District of Distinction twice by District Administration Magazine; and earned the Digital Content and Curriculum Achievement Award from the Center for Digital Education. Microsoft designated BCPS as its first “Showcase” school system for innovative digital teaching and learning, and named BCPS as part of its Leading Countries of the World in Transforming Education program. BCPS was accepted into the League of Innovative Schools, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation awarded BCPS an unusually large grant to advance equity and digital learning.

Other recent honors for the school system include being named the 2017 National School Library Program of the Year and, for the 12th consecutive year, being named one the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education.

Baltimore County itself wraps around Baltimore City and stretches north to the Pennsylvania line. The students of Baltimore County come from urban, rural, and suburban communities. The majority of students (60%) are students of color, and BCPS students’ families represent more than 100 different nations and speak 85 different languages. More than 45% of BCPS students are eligible for free and reduced price meals.

File photo.