Urge Maryland State Board of Education to Take Over City Schools
In a letter to State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury and the Maryland State Board of Education, House Republicans today called for the state takeover of Baltimore City Public Schools and the resignation of Baltimore City School Superintendent Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises. This action comes as the result of a scathing report from the Maryland Inspector General for Education following a multi-year investigation of the grade-changing scandal in City schools.
Calling the scandal a “sickening and tragic abuse of power by those responsible for the education of Baltimore City’s children,” the letter adds to the recommendations of the Investigator General by calling for the resignation of Dr. Santelises and urging a state takeover of the City’s school system.
“Baltimore City Public Schools have been plagued with scandal and have been failing students for decades. This grading scheme is only one episode in a series of problems. Ghost students, students not receiving adequate medical care, drops in student performance, instances of PTSD among City school teachers; an ever-growing and disturbing list of failure and outright danger exist in the Baltimore City Public School system. This is one of the most well-funded school systems in the state and the nation. According to 2020 Census Data, Baltimore City Schools has the fifth-highest per-pupil spending in the entire nation. Maryland’s taxpayers have a vested interest in Baltimore City’s schools, not only from a financial perspective but from a moral one. There must be accountability on the local level for this abject failure.”