Kati Haycock, CEO of the Education Trust, on the appointment of Sonja Brookins Santelises as CEO of the Baltimore City Public Schools

WASHINGTON – “I’m thrilled that Sonja Brookins Santelises will become CEO of the Baltimore City Public Schools. Her deep knowledge and enormous passion for children, especially the most vulnerable, commands wide respect across the country. She’ll work relentlessly to ensure that all young people in Baltimore get the high-quality education they so richly deserve.

“In her role as vice president for K-12 policy and practice, Sonja’s experience and insights, especially about instruction, enriched everything we did. She built strong channels for learning from and supporting practitioners, and brought the invaluable perspective of a seasoned educator to every decision we made. She consistently pushed our thinking, and we are all better advocates for her time with us.

“We’ll miss her terribly. But I always knew there was one call she could not ignore. She may not be a home-town girl, but nobody loves the people—and, most particularly, the children—of Baltimore City more than Sonja. Nobody believes more in their limitless capacity or is more committed to helping them realize it.

“We celebrate Sonja’s immense contributions to our work. And we look forward to what she’ll accomplish alongside Baltimore’s educators, families, and children.”

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