Baltimore public schools CEO, known as a reformer, to retire from district after 6 years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this April 30, 2013 picture, Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Andrés Alonso speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at John Eager Howard Elementary School in Baltimore. The school district announced Monday that Alonso will retire at the end of the current school year after six years of leading the school district. Officials say his retirement is fueled by his desire to return home to New Jersey to care for his aging parents and to assume a professorship at Harvard University. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) (The Associated Press)
Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Andrés Alonso will retire at the end of the school year, after six years of leading the district and orchestrating a turnaround for a system ailing from decades of decline.
Alonso's six years at the district's helm make him one of the longest-serving big-city superintendents in the country.
Under Alonso's leadership, student enrollment and graduation rates increased as suspension and dropout rates dropped.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He said Monday that he is retiring to return home to New Jersey to care for his parents and to assume a professorship at Harvard University.
His last day will be June 30. Chief of Staff Tisha Edwards will serve as an interim CEO through the next school year while the School Board searches for a permanent successor.