Maryland State Board unanimously appoints Dr. Carrie Wright as State Superintendent

The Maryland State Board of Education unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Carrie Wright as Maryland State Superintendent of Schools on a motion issued by the search committee chair, Dr. Michael. The board announced the 12–0 roll-call vote with Dr. Wilcox absent and said Wright’s four-year term will begin July 1, 2024.

The board’s search chair, Dr. Michael, summarized the committee’s work and outreach before making the motion. "As of the close of the application on 03/01/2024, we had, over 40 individuals that had expressed interest in the position and 26 that fully completed applications for our review," he said, noting the committee held virtual town halls and focus groups that involved 211 stakeholders and received 353 survey responses to shape the leadership profile sought by the board. The board said it partnered with an HYA team and named Dr. Monica Brown and Dr. Jack Smith as partners in developing the search process.

The motion to appoint Wright was seconded by Dr. Millie McCarthy and put to a roll-call vote conducted by Mr. Hans. Board members recorded affirmative votes from Ms. Ayoola, Mr. Bartley, Ms. Chang, Dr. Getty, Dr. Goldson, Mr. Greer, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Millie McCarthy, Ms. McCusker, Dr. Michael, Mr. Paul and President Crawford; Mr. Hans announced the tally as "12 to 0" and noted Dr. Wilcox absent.

After the vote the board invited Dr. Carrie Wright into the meeting. Wright said she was "humbled and honored, to be selected to serve as Maryland's new state superintendent of schools," and described listening to MSDE staff, local superintendents, teachers, students and families during her interim service. "We're gonna continue to, focus on literacy, at every level from pre kindergarten through high school," she said, adding that she intends to support educators and work with state partners and local school systems to improve student outcomes.

President Crawford and multiple board members praised the search as "rigorous" and the candidate as a strong fit for Maryland, citing a combination of state experience and national leadership. The board had previously read a statutory statement under the Annotated Code of Maryland (General Provisions Article §3-305(b)(1)) and adjourned briefly to executive session to discuss personnel matters related to the superintendent search before returning to public session to act on the motion.

The board adjourned after a brief closing motion; members said they expect to reconvene at the next scheduled meeting.