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The deadline for Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises to tell the school board she is resigning from the position passed on Sunday with no word from her or the board.
Santelises, who is one of the longest-serving superintendents in the region, is nearing the end of her second four-year contract on June 30. Santelises’ contract requires her to tell the board she intends to resign at least three months before she leaves.
“Right now, we have nothing new to share, but the board and the CEO have a shared understanding of the matter. And they have nothing new to add at this time,” said Andre Riley, a spokesman for the school system.
If Santelises were leaving, the school board would likely have started a search for her replacement last fall or early this year, as is customary in Maryland. The board did not hire a search firm, according to Riley. That leaves open the likelihood that Santelises is staying and that she and the board are negotiating the final details of her next contract.
In most cases, the school board and the superintendent make decisions about future contracts behind closed doors. Santelises could have asked for another four-year contract, or there could be a succession plan being finalized with a candidate who the board picked without doing a search.
Few superintendents of large, urban school districts stay as long as Santelises has in Baltimore, often because they lose the support of their board or other key groups or individuals. If she does get another four-year contract, her longevity would be unusual for both the nation and Maryland.
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There have been no indications of tension between her and the school board at recent meetings, as has been common in other districts when the school board is angry about the direction the school system is headed.
In addition, Santelises has brought stability to the district after a string of superintendents came and went over the past 30 years. Only one other superintendent, Andres Alonso, has stayed more than four years.
Mayor Brandon Scott has not publicly endorsed Santelises, but has collaborated with her and welcomed her to press conferences. And while mayoral candidate Sheila Dixon has expressed a desire to have someone different in the job if she wins, mayors do not hire or fire school superintendents. She can only appoint the members of the board.
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Liz Bowie covers education for The Baltimore Banner.
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