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Profile: SONJA SANTELISES

Baltimore City Schools Superintendent Sonja Santelises often has been called a visionary for her inspired leadership over the last decade of one of the nation鈥檚 highest-poverty school districts.

That distinguished work earned her recognition as one of four finalists for the 2026 National Superintendent of the Year Award and follows her being named Maryland Superintendent of the Year.

Leading with 鈥渁 clear vision and integrity,鈥� says Alison Perkins-Cohen, the school system鈥檚 chief of staff, Santelises has 鈥渧ery high standards for the organization and will accept nothing less than delivering the best for our young people.鈥�

Appointed to the top Baltimore post in 2016, she is an innovative thinker willing to buck trends 鈥� even those prevailing nationally, says Laura Doherty, president and CEO of the Baltimore Curriculum Project, the state鈥檚 largest public charter school network.

Baltimore鈥檚 76,400 students achieved the nation鈥檚 second-largest gains in reading since 2022 among large urban districts and is one of only five large urban districts performing better in reading now compared to the pre-pandemic, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard. Students who attend the district鈥檚 pre-K programs, which operate in 100 schools, consistently outpace the state in kindergarten readiness assessments.

During her Baltimore tenure, Santelises has overseen construction of 30 new schools, mostly in struggling neighborhoods.

Robert Salley, chair of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, describes the superintendent as a 鈥済alvanizer.鈥� She marshals financial resources and collaborates with key stakeholders on innovative designs for buildings that are 鈥渙n track, under budget and built for the future,鈥� he says.

In her first year, Santelises secured a three-year commitment of $180 million in state and local funding to close historically recurring funding gaps and budget strategically for equity-promoting student supports.

Her time in Baltimore is coming to an end. Santelises this summer will become the second superintendent-in-residence at The Broad Center at the Yale School of Management for the 2026-27 school year. She will teach mid-career education professionals and mentor alumni interested in school district leadership work.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in this fraught moment where leaders have to manage a lot, while figuring out what to prioritize,鈥� says Natasha Trivers, the center鈥檚 assistant dean, adding that Santelises鈥檚 thoughtfulness, strategizing and persistence make her 鈥渢he right leader for such a moment.鈥�

Her prior experiences as chief academic officer in Baltimore and assistant superintendent of Boston Public Schools have contributed to Santelises鈥� deep knowledge of instruction, pedagogy, curriculum research and instructional effectiveness. Her progressive policies as Baltimore鈥檚 superintendent have led to encouraging performance indicators.

After years of declining enrollment, Baltimore City Schools experienced an increase of more than 1,000 students in 2024-25. In May 2025, the district achieved a nearly 150 percent increase in the number of students taking AP exams compared to a decade prior. The number of students in Baltimore earning qualifying scores in that period increased threefold.

While her job requires careful planning, Santelises can pivot when necessary, as she showed with her agile response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her implementation of a school-based asymptomatic testing program facilitated the safe return of staff and students and enabled the district to be among the first in Maryland to safely re-open.

Even as her time winds down as superintendent, Santelises continues to push for big initiatives, such as boosting math scores, says Doherty, the charter network leader. 鈥淪he does not have senioritis. She鈥檚 still going full tilt right to the end.鈥�

Robin Flanigan is a freelance education writer in Rochester, N.Y.