July 1, 2026 Staff and Community Message: A Welcome Message from Superintendent Bill Heiser
Dear Team BCPS—
I hope you are having an enjoyable summer. Today is my official first day as superintendent, and I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to return to Team BCPS and serve this exceptional community. I look forward to meeting many of you over the next several months.
While I most recently worked as the chief operating officer for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, I have close ties to Baltimore County and the Baltimore region spanning more than two decades. I believe these close ties will be an asset as I rejoin Team BCPS. I had the immense privilege of serving as the principal of Catonsville High School from 2013-2015, where I formed strong and lasting relationships in the school, across the system, and in the community.
My previous experiences include serving as president of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore City for eight years, and as the principal of North County High School in Anne Arundel County for three years. Under my leadership at Cristo Rey, 100% of graduating seniors were accepted to college for eight consecutive years. At North County High, I steered a comprehensive school turnaround that led to significant gains in student achievement.
I was also educated in the Baltimore-region. I am a proud alum of Morgan State University and Loyola University Maryland, and I received certifications from Towson University.
Even as my career has taken me to neighboring systems over the past few years, I want you to know that I remained deeply connected to Team BCPS and have always been inspired by your talent, resilience, and profound belief in this system and its children.
BCPS has made meaningful progress over the past few years, and I see immense potential in this system. Like all large school systems, we face real challenges. These challenges require immediate and strategic action to address system needs and advance excellence for all members of Team BCPS.
Over the next 100 days, our work will focus on the following priorities:
Academic Excellence
- Assessing academic performance and instructional quality.
- Defining and communicating a vision for academic excellence.
Operational Readiness and Financial Sustainability
- Reviewing operational and financial systems.
- Improving operational efficiency and financial sustainability.
Talent Identification
- Evaluating leadership and staffing capacity.
- Building the BCPS leadership pipeline and strengthening our retention strategy.
Community Engagement
- Conducting a “listening and learning” tour.
- Enhancing our community engagement and communications framework.
Our core purpose centers on increasing achievement for all students and providing multiple pathways to prepare students for college, careers, and life. Every decision we make must begin and end with this critical question: What is best for students? Our work will be grounded in this clear and unwavering commitment to putting students first and building a culture where excellence is nurtured and expected every day.
I will hold six “Meet the Superintendent” events to hear directly from you about your priorities and hopes for BCPS. These meetings will begin on Thursday, July 9, and continue through the first week of August. If you can, please join us. I will also share my community engagement plan soon, which will include a variety of opportunities for members of the Team BCPS community to connect with system leadership, participate in conversations to shape the future of BCPS, and provide direct feedback on system efforts.
As I begin my superintendency, I pledge to lead with openness, clarity, and accountability. I am confident that we will build on our achievements as a system and improve outcomes for all students because of our shared commitment to excellence and ensuring student success. I am excited for this next chapter in the BCPS story, and I look forward to working alongside this community on behalf of our 108,000 students.
Enjoy the rest of the summer! Please stay connected with the system through the BCPS Summer Connect campaign, and don’t forget to save the date (Saturday, August 22) for BCPSfest 2026!
Sincerely,
Bill Heiser, Ed.D.
Superintendent