The founding chairwoman of the D.C. charter school board stepped down on Wednesday to take “a long, restful break.”
Josephine Baker was an award-winning educator in D.C. Public Schools for 25 years and at George Washington University’s School of Education before then-Mayor Marion Barry appointed her to the Public Charter School Board when it was created in 1996.
Baker has served as the board’s executive director since 2002, and is a founding member and past chairwoman of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers Board. In 2009, she was inducted into the National Charter School Hall of Fame.
“My tenure as the executive director has been both rewarding and inspiring. I plan to take a long, restful break and spend time with my family, before considering how I might contribute my rich experiences to future work in the charter community,” Baker said.
Brian Jones, current chairman of the D.C. charter school board, called Baker an “icon.”
“Her departure will leave both a great void within the PCSB and an unparalleled legacy of service to the children and families of the District,” he said.
The charter school board oversees about 30,000 students — 40 percent of D.C. public school students — in 52 charter schools on 93 campuses. Jones said the system is “widely considered to be on the leading edge of public education reform, in large part because of Josephine Baker’s leadership.”
