June 13, 2023, Staff and Community Update: End of Year Message from Superintendent Darryl Williams
Dear Team BCPS:
Happy last day of school! The end of a school year is a time for celebration, reflection, and planning. Today is bittersweet for me as it is my final last day of school as BCPS superintendent.
I am so incredibly proud of our students and staff for all they have accomplished. During this school year, as I visited our schools, centers, and programs and spoke with teachers, administrators, staff, and students, I saw high levels of engagement, rigorous teaching and learning, growth in our students and staff, and community and partnership building. And the results of that deep commitment to excellence and learning are clear: students and staff won numerous local, state, and national awards for their incredible talents, service, and accomplishments, and, over the past few weeks, we have awarded diplomas to nearly 8,000 students! It brought me great joy to shake the hands of our graduates as they walked across the stage with diplomas in hand and limitless possibilities ahead of them.
When I joined the school system in 2019, I made a commitment to closing achievement and opportunity gaps and placing greater emphasis on equity. I made it clear that we would have high expectations for all students and identify and eliminate barriers that keep certain groups of students from meeting those expectations. We laid out a clear vision and course in the strategic plan—The Compass: Our Pathway to Excellence—and set bold goals for our school system. We have tackled numerous challenges with grit and compassion, and I am particularly proud of the work we have done together to raise the bar, close gaps, and prepare Team BCPS students for the future. Here are some highlights of that work:
Learning, Accountability, and Results
BCPS has
- Lengthened student days to provide additional time for learning, and we expanded our academic resources and supports to students both during and after the school day and school year.
- Revised its Teaching and Learning Framework and updated School Progress Plans focusing on literacy, mathematics, and climate.
- Established data dashboards to enhance transparency.
- Invested additional funding in Career and Technical Education programs. Currently 51.5 percent of BCPS high school students take CTE courses, which is a higher percentage than any other school system in Maryland.
- Expanded student access to science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics (STEAM) courses and programs and created the GatHERing STEAM conference for female and nonbinary students interested in exploring STEAM course and career pathways.
- Made significant gains in Advanced Placement exam participation and performance.
- Launched the Project Graduation initiative, which brings critical school-based and central office staff together to review student data for graduation requirements, discuss on-track status, and share best practices for supporting students and preventing them from dropping out.
- Held systemwide Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) college fairs that provided students opportunities to meet with representatives from dozens of colleges and universities and secure on-the-spot admissions.
- Expanded access to dual enrollment and tuition-free programs at CCBC for all BCPS high school students.
- Created the Black Boy Joy and Genius initiative to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for Black male middle school students in BCPS.
Safe and Supportive Environment
BCPS has
- Prioritized social-emotional well-being by including increased funding for additional school counselors and social workers.
- Launched a new program that places safety assistants in all secondary schools.
- Collaborated with county government to identify safety-related capital projects for pass-through grant funding.
- Allocated resources to expand mentoring programs in all middle schools.
- Elevated the importance of student leadership and voice to tackle safety concerns by working with student leaders from Baltimore County Student Councils and Junior Councils to launch peer-to-peer safety campaigns.
- Spearheaded cross-state collaboration with state superintendents to identify innovative solutions to address the increase in disruptive student behaviors.
- Expanded training for BCPS staff on de-escalation strategies.
High-performing Workforce and Alignment of Human Capital
BCPS has
- Created enhanced compensation packages for employees and provided recruitment and retention bonuses for all BCPS employees.
- Launched a comprehensive, systemwide plan to improve staff climate and morale.
- Increased diversity in the BCPS workforce in alignment with student demographics.
- Expanded career pathways to create additional opportunities for BCPS staff.
- Developed a yearlong professional development plan for staff across divisions, aligned to the four system priority areas.
- Supported employee wellness by advocating for additional time off for staff to rest and recharge.
- Improved collaboration with association leadership to ensure consistent, clear communication on initiatives to support the needs of Team BCPS.
Community Engagement and Partnerships
BCPS has
- Grown BCPS business and community partnerships with more than 800 partners serving the system to-date.
- Enhanced parent volunteer opportunities to support the schoolhouse.
- Hosted several town halls, Community Conversations, and in-person system meetings to build relationships, answer community questions and concerns, and brainstorm solutions.
- Expanded outreach to multilingual families and secured additional resources and partnerships to support the needs of our growing English learner population.
Operational Excellence
BCPS has
- Implemented more than 150 Efficiency Review recommendations with a studied, balanced approach. More than 100 staff members worked to align the report recommendations with the needs of the system.
- Developed multiyear Improvement Plans for all schools.
- Opened a Customer Service Center that provides BCPS employees and retirees with assistance and solutions.
- Overhauled and reimagined operations to improve efficiencies in transportation.
Team BCPS, we did this work together. We did this critical work while navigating the uncertainties of a once-in-a-lifetime global COVID-19 pandemic and while rebuilding our systems following a crippling cybersecurity attack. Yes, there is much work to be done to ensure high levels of achievement for all students, but I think it is also important for us to stop, reflect, and celebrate the progress we have made. I know that BCPS staff will continue to work relentlessly to improve and accelerate learning and to empower students. I see the commitment to this critical work in our schools and offices, in our community, and with every conversation that I have had with our teachers, staff, and families.
We have an incredibly supportive Team BCPS community that cares deeply about the success and well-being of our students and who invest time, energy, and resources in support of BCPS. And we, of course, simply have the best students, young people who are doing remarkable things at their schools and in their communities.
Thank you, Team BCPS, for this unforgettable journey. Thank you for your support, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to our incredible students. I am honored to have been entrusted with the great responsibility of leading this outstanding school system. I know Dr. Myriam Yarbrough, the incoming superintendent, will lead this system to new heights and will do whatever it takes to improve conditions for staff and to provide resources for all students. I wish you all the very best. Have a wonderful summer.
With appreciation,
Dr. Darryl L. Williams