CATONSVILLE, Md. — Thousands of Baltimore County Public Schools students headed back to class Monday as the district kicked off a new school year and welcomed its new superintendent.
Dr. Bill Heiser spent the morning at Catonsville High School, where he once served as principal, greeting students as they arrived for the first day of school.
"It's extra special," Heiser said. "BCPS welcomed me in as a principal, helped me grow as a leader, and here I am back. I'm so happy to be working with the thousands of employees here at BCPS and our wonderful students."
Heiser said one of his top priorities this year is improving academic achievement and keeping the focus on what's happening in classrooms across the district.
"Number one is academic achievement, making sure we're really focused squarely on what's happening in the classroom," he said.
The district has also made significant progress filling teaching positions ahead of the school year. Heiser said BCPS is down to just 28 teacher vacancies among roughly 9,000 teaching positions.
"We know how important it is to have a teacher in every classroom, but not only a qualified teacher, somebody that really wants to work closely with kids and help them excel," Heiser said. "Only 28 teacher vacancies, and that's tremendous in a school system our size."
The first day of school at Catonsville High featured a celebratory atmosphere, complete with a marching band and cheerleaders welcoming students back to campus.
As for Heiser's own first-day routine, he admitted the excitement got the best of him.
"Today's like a game day, so I didn't eat anything," he said with a laugh. He later planned to join students in the cafeteria for a meet-and-greet.
This story was edited with the assistance of AI. A journalist reviewed all content for accuracy and context.
