Sonja Santelises

Last updated
Sonja Santelises
Born1968 (age 55–56)
EducationBachelor's degree from Brown University; 
                      Master's degree from Columbia University;
Doctorate from Harvard University
OccupationCEO of Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS)

Sonja Santelises has been the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools since May 2016.

Contents

Biography

Sonja Santelises (née Brookins) was raised in Peabody, Massachusetts, just north of Boston. [1] Her father Jackson Andrew Brookins was a chemist from Mississippi who was also an industrial relations executive for Eastman Kodak, and her mother Verna was a former social worker who was in charge of community relations at Polaroid as well as a district minister for the Pentecostal church. [2] [1] Both of her parents grew up in the Jim Crow south. [1] She has a younger sister, Shahara, who became a college professor. [2]

Her family were Protestants, but Santelises went to Bishop Fenwick High School, a private Catholic high school. [1] She received a bachelor's degree in English literature and International Relations from Brown University, a Master's degree in Education Administration from Columbia University, and a doctorate in Education Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University. [1] [3] She worked for 25 years for urban school systems as an administrator and educator before heading BCPS. [2]

She is married to Lew Santelises, who is an American hedge fund and private equity fund manager who founded Santelises Fund Management. They have three daughters, including two fraternal twins. [2] [1] She has given a TEDx talk. [4]

From 2010 to 2013, Santelises was the chief academic officer in Baltimore, then served as vice president for The Education Trust, where she worked on K-12 policy and practice. [1]

In Baltimore City

Santelises became the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools in July 2016, replacing Gregory Thornton, who was ousted by the school board. [5] [2] [6] She has advocated for improving the curriculum as a way to help close the achievement gap, and has conducted audits to find out where students are receiving gaps in their education. [7] [8] She has advocated for literacy programs and stopping teacher layoffs. [9] [10]

Criticism

In 2017, Santelises had to defend and explain how she would fix the district's $130 million budget deficit, which she inherited from the previous administration. [11] She received national criticism in January 2018 when several Baltimore schools had to close for days due to heating systems going down, causing near freezing temperatures in classrooms, which she said was the result of systemic and long term underfunding of the school district. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore School for the Arts</span> Performing arts school in Baltimore, Maryland

The Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) is a public performing arts high school located in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland, United States and is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Established in 1979, The Baltimore School for the Arts offers art concentrations in vocal music, instrumental music, acting, theater production, dance, visual arts and film. The high school has produced numerous "Presidential Scholars" in the Arts and its students have gone on to attend major conservatories and Ivy League Schools.

Mayo A. Shattuck III is an American businessman and philanthropist. He currently serves as non-executive chairman of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, co-chair of the Johns Hopkins University Capital Campaign and vice chairman of the board of Johns Hopkins Medicine. Shattuck is involved in a number of philanthropic efforts, including those at the Johns Hopkins University, First Tee, and the University of Maryland Baltimore County and is a notable advocate for nuclear power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renaissance Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)</span> A high school in Baltimore, Maryland

Renaissance Academy is a public high school in the Madison Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPSS) system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy for College and Career Exploration</span> Public school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE) is a public secondary school located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school opened in the city in fall 2004 under the guidance of being an "innovation" school by Johns Hopkins researchers. Another school created with the same guidelines of being a "innovation" school, Baltimore Talent Development also opened around the same time. ACCE is now converted into a "transformation" middle/high school with grades 6-7/9-12 for the 2011–2012 school year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Career Academy</span> Public, alternative, adult school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Baltimore Career Academy is a public high school located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States that offers both academic and skills training in an alternative learning environment. The program integrates academic classes with occupational specific training for youth, ages 16–21. The school also offers credit recovery and GED courses for those students who have completed high school credits in other schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High School</span> Public, alternative, adult school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High School is a public adult high school located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, part of the Baltimore City Public Schools. The school is named for Francis M. Wood, Baltimore's Director of Negro Schools from 1925 to 1943.

National Academy Foundation School is a public secondary school located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is based on the National Academy Foundation educational design to have "small learning communities."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Fenwick High School (Peabody, Massachusetts)</span> Private, coeducational school in Peabody, , Massachusetts, United States

Bishop Fenwick High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in Peabody, Massachusetts. While located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, the school is operated independently and with the blessing of the Archdiocese. Students who attend Bishop Fenwick come from over 40 towns and communities in New England, primarily those closest to the campus such as Saugus, Salem, Peabody, Beverly, Marblehead, and Danvers, Massachusetts. The school also has a small number of international students, having welcomed its first international students in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore City Public Schools</span> School district in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), also referred to as Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) or City Schools, is a public school district in the city of Baltimore, state of Maryland, United States. It serves the youth of Baltimore City. Traditionally, however, the Baltimore City Public Schools system has not referred to itself as a "district," as the operation of the schools was synonymous with the city of Baltimore. Its headquarters are located on 200 East North Avenue at North Calvert Street in the Dr. Alice G. Pinderhughes Administration Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bubba Green</span> American football player (1957–2019)

Anthony Wayne "Bubba" Green was a professional American football player who played defensive lineman for one season for the Baltimore Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn Mosby</span> American politician and lawyer (born 1980)

Marilyn Mosby is an American politician and lawyer who served as the State's Attorney for Baltimore from 2015 to 2023. Mosby gained national attention following the killing of Freddie Gray in 2015, after which she led a highly publicized investigation and unsuccessful murder prosecution of the police officers who arrested and transported Gray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeRay Mckesson</span> American activist

DeRay Mckesson is an American civil rights activist, podcaster, and former school administrator. An early supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, he has been active in the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland and on social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram. He has also written for HuffPost and The Guardian. Along with Johnetta Elzie, Brittany Packnett, and Samuel Sinyangwe, Mckesson launched Campaign Zero, a policy platform to end police violence. He is currently part of Crooked Media and hosts Pod Save the People.

Victorine Quille Adams was the first African-American woman to serve on the Baltimore City Council. Born in Baltimore, Maryland to Joseph C. and Estelle Tate Quille, she graduated from Frederick Douglass High School and attended Coppin Teachers College, as well as Morgan State College. After graduating from college, Adams worked as a teacher in Baltimore City for fourteen years.

Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women is a public charter middle and high school for girls in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the first public all girls' secondary school in the city that had both middle and senior high school levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Antonio Bowen</span> American college administrator

José Antonio Bowen is an American author and academic. He served as the 11th president of Goucher College from 2014 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin B. Quinn</span> CEO of TransLink (British Columbia)

Kevin B. Quinn is the chief executive officer of TransLink. Prior to his current role, he was CEO and administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration from 2017 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Osefo</span> Nigerian-American academic

Dr. Wendy Onyinye Osefo is a Nigerian-American political commentator, public affairs academic, and television personality. She is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Education, and a main cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac. Wendy practices in the field of journalism and has received rewards recognizing her contributions to the field of journalism.

Bernice Smith White was an American community worker, civic leader, and a leader for equal rights for women. She was educated in Baltimore City Public Schools and received her bachelor's degree in education from Coppin State College. She also studied political science, government, personnel management, behavioral aspects of management, labor relations, and equal opportunity at Morgan State University, the Community College of Baltimore, George Washington University, the University of Maryland, and Fisk University. She taught in the Baltimore school system for about 12 years. In the Baltimore Urban League she worked as a volunteer in programs to provide job opportunities for youths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Washington Partnership</span> Promotional alliance of Washington, D.C. business leaders

The Greater Washington Partnership is a civic alliance of the region's leading employers who are committed to fostering unity and making the Washington–Baltimore metropolitan area the most inclusive economy in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Pasteur</span> American politician

Cheryl E. Pasteur is an American politician. She is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 11A in Baltimore County. She previously served on the Baltimore County School Board from 2018 to 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Green, Erica L. "Sonja Santelises, the next Baltimore schools CEO, says: 'It can be done'". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Head of the Class". Baltimore magazine. 2017-09-05. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  3. ↑ Sun, Baltimore. "It's 'Dr.' Sonja Santelises". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  4. ↑ "Brown Alumni Magazine - The Children's Crusader". www.brownalumnimagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  5. ↑ "Spotlight on Black Educators: Sonja Santelises, CEO, BCPS | Afro". www.afro.com. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  6. ↑ "Meet incoming Baltimore schools CEO Sonja Santelises". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  7. ↑ "Perspective | The importance of asking hard questions about what students learn in school". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  8. ↑ "Baltimore Public School Curricula Comes Up Short". Accuracy In Academia. 2018-07-16. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  9. ↑ Greaves, Tom Hall, Cianna B. "Dr. Sonja Santelises on Funding the Future of Baltimore City Schools". WYPR 88.1FM. Retrieved 2018-07-21.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Richman, Talia. "Baltimore schools budget: Literacy coaches for high need schools, no layoffs". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  11. ↑ WBFF. "RAW INTERVIEW: Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises". WBFF. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  12. ↑ "Beleaguered Baltimore reopens most schools minus icicles". amp.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  13. ↑ "Fiery scorn for Baltimore officials after cold school crisis | Baltimore Brew". Baltimore Brew. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  14. ↑ "Baltimore Schools' Heating Crisis A 'Day Of Reckoning' For The City And State". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  15. ↑ Peek, Lori (7 April 2018). "Opinion | America's Deathtrap Schools". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  16. ↑ "Freezing classrooms spark heated debate over Baltimore's school infrastructure". PBS NewsHour. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.