State outreach session gathers parent and community priorities for Maryland�s next superintendent

Facilitators for the Maryland state superintendent search asked parents and community members to describe what works, what should change and what personal qualities the next state superintendent should bring.

The session, hosted by Maryland Department of Education outreach staff, will feed a leadership profile appended to the official job posting and provided to the State Board of Education. The facilitator said the board will screen candidates by March, interview in April into early May and aim for an official start date of July 1, which the facilitator cited as the states start-date practice.

Sure, a longtime PTO leader in Prince Georges County, said the state needs a visible, tireless advocate who will defend Marylands blueprint for schools and prioritize teacher recruitment and retention. "We need someone whos going to be not only the face of Maryland schools, but someone who is going to be a tireless advocate for education in Maryland," she said.

A resident participant urged the next superintendent to broaden outreach beyond the most visible stakeholders and explicitly reach immigrant and underrepresented communities. "Open door not just for the visible community, for the people who are savvy about how to navigate the system," the participant said, urging regular town halls and liaisons who can connect families to schools.

Participants suggested practical partnerships and local strategies, including working with nearby universities and business roundtables to provide low-cost training and community engagement. Several speakers also warned that national political statements can erode local trust and argued the superintendent should focus strictly on school needs rather than outside politics.

Mental-health supports were a recurring theme. One participant said counselors are often tied up with scheduling and administrative duties rather than therapeutic work and recommended hiring specialists with trauma and cultural-competency experience to better serve immigrant students and families.

Facilitators said they would summarize themes and representative quotes (without attributing every comment verbatim) and provide the results to the State Board of Education to help shape the candidate search. The session ended with thanks and confirmation that the meeting would be transcribed and used in the search process.