gregory thornton

• Crime

Tragedies, education issues among other Maryland headlines in 2016

It takes time, resources and considerable luck to overcome the trauma of a difficult year, and Baltimore's efforts to recover from 2015 came in fits, starts and disappointments aplenty.

By Jonathan M. Pitts

Dec 22, 2016

• Education

Baltimore suspending many more students from school

Baltimore city schools suspended nearly 8,500 students last year — a 25 percent increase — despite several years of effort to reduce the rate of disciplinary removals.

• Education

West Baltimore's Renaissance Academy once again facing closure

Renaissance Academy, the West Baltimore high that staved off closure, mourned three slain students – including one who bled out in the school's hallway – and rallied to graduate one of its largest classes ever last spring is facing closure for the second year in a row.

• High Schools

City schools building plan causes upset in Northwest Baltimore

Parents and others say the merger of Forest Park and Northwestern high schools is taking place with little notice, poor planning and minimal community input. The merger is part of the district's $1 billion plan to renovate and rebuild its dilapidated infrastructure.

• Sun Investigates

Critics of Baltimore school board secrecy have little recourse

When the Baltimore school board revealed this month that it had secretly hired a new CEO, city and state officials were incensed that the panel had circumvented a process that would have given them and the public a say. But they have little recourse beyond airing their grievances.

• Opinion

The shifting story of the Santelises search

When it comes to their secret search for a new city schools CEO, the school board wasn't even transparent in explaining its lack of transparency. That's the

• Education

Baltimore school board head says using lawyer allowed it to keep CEO hunt quiet

The Baltimore school board used its private attorney to secretly hire a search firm when it quietly looked for a new CEO earlier this year, circumventing school system purchasing requirements, the board president acknowledged Friday.

• Education

Baltimore city school board approves contract for new CEO, other leadership appointments

Santelises also names first member of her administration

• Baltimore City Paper

Baltimore City Power Rankings: Green party, West family, BCPS, and more

¿ West family

• Maryland

Baltimore school board criticized for secret search for new CEO

The Baltimore school board came under criticism Wednesday for embarking on a secretive selection process that left the public and key legislators unaware that a new schools chief was being hired.

• Opinion

The secret superintendent search

The process that led to the appointment of Sonja Santelises as city schools CEO lacked transparency or public input

• Opinion

New schools CEO selection brings hope to Baltimore

Often the difference between a good schools CEO and a mediocre comes down to fit with the district. Therein lies the basis for the enthusiastic hope engendered by the appointment of Sonja Santelises as the new CEO of the Baltimore city schools. Unlike the departing Gregory Thornton, her strong suit is academic leadership.

• Maryland

Baltimore council president criticizes school board 'secrecy' in selecting new CEO

City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young on Wednesday criticized the school board for its lack of transparency in naming a new school system CEO.

By Jessica Anderson

May 4, 2016

• Baltimore City

Baltimore city school board to vote Tuesday on budget

The Baltimore city school board is poised to vote on a $1.2 billion budget next year that will require another round of central office staff cuts, including school police officers, but boost funding for literacy and math initiatives.

• Education

Baltimore schools release $1.2 billion budget

Baltimore City schools CEO Gregory Thornton released Tuesday a proposed $1.2 billion budget that reduces funding for charter schools and plans for rising expenses in salaries and health insurance.

• Baltimore City Public Schools

Lawmakers look to shake up leadership of Baltimore city schools

State lawmakers want a greater role in choosing the next leader of the Baltimore city school district, and want to give city voters some say in the makeup of the school board.

• David Warnock

Baltimore mayoral candidate David Warnock outlines education plan

Mayoral candidate David Warnock on Thursday pledged to devote more than $20 million during in his first term to start more than 100 new community schools, which would create neighborhoods hubs with afterschool programs, health and social services and more.

By Natalie Sherman

Mar 31, 2016

• Obituaries

Quentin R. Lawson, advised Schaefer and promoted African-Americans' empowerment, dies

Quentin R. Lawson, educational adviser to Mayor William Donald Schaefer who later became executive director of the National Alliance of Black School Educators, died Monday of complications from prostate cancer at his Windsor Mill home. He was 83.

By Frederick N. Rasmussen

Mar 18, 2016

• Maryland

Candidates for mayor seek more control over Baltimore schools

Baltimore school leadership, already under scrutiny, also faces a challenge from the top candidates for mayor — all of whom say they would seek a stronger role in managing the city's schools.

• Opinion

Give Thornton some credit

City schools chief has suffered unusually harsh criticism for issues that he inherited

• Opinion

Mayor's race on the issues: School governance

Mayoral candidates are right to focus on the lack of clear accountability for city schools, but an elected board isn't the answer.

• Opinion

Evaluating the schools chief

Evaluating the schools chief

• Education

Baltimore schools chief gets critical performance evaluation

While publicly supporting its new schools chief last spring, the Baltimore city school board was privately expressing disappointment with Gregory Thornton, noting in written documents that he was a poor communicator and had provided no plan to improve flagging academics.

• Education

Principals, teachers urge support for Baltimore school police after slapping video causes scrutiny

The principal of Friendship Academy of Engineering & Technology urged city school officials to preserve, even expand, the force that has come under recent scrutiny.

By Tim Prudente

Mar 8, 2016

• Baltimore City

Baltimore schools CEO will review officer training, selection after slapping incident

Baltimore schools CEO Gregory Thornton said he will review the training and selection of school police officers after an officer was filmed slapping a teenager last week at the REACH Partnership school in Clifton Park.

By Tim Prudente

Mar 8, 2016

• Maryland

City senator blasts Baltimore schools leadership after slapping incident

A city senator is calling for Baltimore schools Superintendent Gregory Thornton to resign immediately or be fired after a school police officer was caught on video this week slapping and kicking a student. State Sen. Bill Ferguson called it "unacceptable" that the school system couldn't immediately say whether the youth in the video is enrolled at the school.

• Opinion

In defense of Gregory Thornton

Here's what Gregory Thornton's critics are missing.

• Opinion

City schools lack leadership

City schools lack leadership

• Education

Some critics call for Thornton's ouster as leader of Baltimore schools

Less than two years into Gregory Thornton's tenure as city schools chief, some Baltimore civic and political leaders have lost faith in his ability to lead the school system — and some say it's time for him to go.

• Charter Schools

City school board to decide if charter should welcome students who live nearby

City school leaders will decide Tuesday whether to allow a charter school to take more students from its surrounding streets, even if it ultimately endangers the survival of a nearby elementary school.

• Politics

Lawmakers concerned and angry about city schools enrollment woes

• Opinion

Baltimore's 'ghost students'

Investigators need to get to the bottom of what appears to be Baltimore City schools' inflated enrollment figures.

• Obituaries

Joan Hammonds, longtime Baltimore City educator, dies

Joan Hammonds, a longtime Baltimore City teacher who served as executive assistant to the school district's interim CEO, died last week of unknown causes at Good Samaritan Hospital, her son said. She was 65.

By Colin Campbell

Jan 31, 2016

• Education

Baltimore schools lose hundreds of students, millions in funding

After enrollment in Baltimore public schools unexpectedly dropped following years of growth, officials are bracing for nearly $30 million in funding cuts and investigating whether hundreds of students were mistakenly kept on the rolls.

• High Schools

Baltimore city school board votes to close four schools

The Baltimore city school board voted Tuesday to close four schools. Westside Elementary School, located in the Penn-North neighborhood that experienced the brunt of looting and rioting in April, is among those the board voted to close at the end of the school year. The others that will close are Maritime Industries Academy High School, Baltimore Community High School and the Maryland Academy of Technology & Health Sciences.

• Baltimore City Paper

Student activists respond to CEO Thornton's letter on protesting

• Education

School closure debate highlights tough year in city neighborhoods

• Maryland

Rawlings-Blake visits hospitalized student stabbed at West Baltimore school, calls attack 'tragic'

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday she visited the University of Maryland's Shock Trauma Center to support the family of a student stabbed at a West Baltimore high school.

By Luke Broadwater

Nov 25, 2015

• Maryland

Student in critical condition after stabbing inside Baltimore's Renaissance Academy

A student was stabbed inside of Renaissance Academy high school in Baltimore on Tuesday, according to Baltimore Police.

• Politics

In preparation for General Assembly, state lawmakers take stock of education in Baltimore

City residents sound off at public forum on education.

• Educators

City schools see midyear budget, staffing cuts

A number of Baltimore City schools were forced to eliminate staff this week following mid-year budget cuts. Nearly 130 staff were left looking for job placements after the school district imposed budget cuts because student enrollments turned out to be lower than estimated before the school year began.

• Education

Officials struggle to explain dramatic drop in national test scores

State and local education officials struggled Wednesday to explain historic declines on national math and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam, after Maryland became the first state ever to record significant, across-the-board drops.

• Baltimore City Public Schools

Inspired by unrest, Karl Perry works to redefine city school climate

• High Schools

Baltimore City schools schedule public sessions for new strategic plan

• Sports

Joe Flacco says loss of Steve Smith Sr., Michael Campanaro will force adjustments

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said Monday morning that he and the offense are in for an adjustment with the short-term loss of wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. and the season-ending injury to wide receiver Michael Campanaro.

By Jon Meoli

Oct 5, 2015

• Baltimore City

City school system scraps charter funding change as Schmoke enters talks

Baltimore school officials said Tuesday they will scrap a controversial proposal to reduce funding to several public charter schools after University of Baltimore president and former mayor Kurt L. Schmoke agreed to step in to seek an agreement between the school system and the charters.

By Colin Campbell

Sep 22, 2015

• Opinion

Boosting Baltimore's arts education

Gregory Thornton has made concrete progress in expanding the number of arts teachers in schools so that beginning this school year, every city school will have at least a music teacher or a visual arts teacher. This is a net gain over last year of 21.2 arts teachers. After a decade of arts programs being eliminated in many schools, this change is evidence of significant progress. And unlike previous CEOs, Mr. Thornton initiated the recruiting and hiring process early and relied on outstanding

• Education

Councilman to introduce charter school funding resolution as debate intensifies

Members of the Baltimore City Council are calling on the school system to reconsider a proposed formula that would reduce budgets of several public charter schools.

• Education

After paycheck, teacher vacancy issues, city schools chief human resources officer resigns

The head of Baltimore city schools' human capital office is out, city school officials confirmed Friday, a move that comes after weeks of management issues in that office including teacher vacancies and paycheck shortages.

• News

Douglass student charged in beating of football teammate

A Frederick Douglass High School student is facing attempted-murder charges in an assault on a teammate he thought might have stolen a piece from his football helmet, according to school officials.