BALTIMORE — The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners on Monday unanimously voted to approve a new Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Jermaine Dawson takes over the district effective July 1.
Currently Dawson is a deputy superintendent in Philadelphia.
He succeeds Dr. Sonja Santelises, who accepted an administrative position at Yale after spending a decade as CEO of Baltimore City Schools.
“Together with our students, educators, families, and community, we will build on the district’s strong foundation and accelerate progress to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed," said Dawson. "I look forward to partnering with the Board and our community to make Baltimore City Public Schools one of the top urban school districts in the country.”
According to the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, as of August 7, 2025, only 12.6 percent of Baltimore City School students were proficient in mathematics, with only 8 percent proficient in science.
As for English Language Arts, City students were at 31.2 percent proficiency.
In 2025 City Schools were found to have a 71.71 graduation rate and 86.2 percent attendance rate.
