New school year, new leadership for Baltimore and Harford County schools

Thousands of students in Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil and Harford counties will return to class Monday for the first day of school.

Baltimore County and Harford County schools are entering the new school year under new leadership. Both superintendents say they are focused on addressing major challenges facing their districts.

Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Heiser is taking over a district serving more than 100,000 students. The former Anne Arundel County Public Schools chief operating officer and former Baltimore County principal says his priorities include improving student achievement, financial efficiency, and culture and morale.

"Making sure people have pride in our system, that we recognize the challenges that they have," Heiser said. "I think that's extremely important when you think about culture."

Heiser takes over amid budget challenges and a shortage of about 50 bus drivers as the district prepares to transport nearly 80,000 students.

"To meet some of the budget needs of the current budget this year, we have had to scale back," Heiser said. "There were some decisions that just had to be made in terms of personnel and staffing cuts."

In Harford County, Dr. Dyann Mack is officially taking over as superintendent after serving as interim superintendent last year. She has spent nearly 30 years working in the district and is the first Black superintendent in Harford County Public Schools history.

"I've been in Harford County all my life, from kindergarten through my 30th year, and it wasn't my time to retire," Mack said. "It was my time to do one more thing for Harford County, and the superintendency is it."

Mack says her priorities include school safety and helping students who are falling behind in reading, while also warning that the district faces difficult budget decisions ahead.

"We are at the point in our county where we're going to have to make some very hard decisions," Mack said.

Both superintendents say they want to hear from families as they set their priorities for the years ahead.