Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley commended his retiring schools chief on Wednesday, thanking Nancy Grasmick for the state’s high achievement and calling her a “champion” of Maryland’s education reforms.
“From her days teaching deaf children in Baltimore City, to now serving as the head of America’s number one public school system, Dr. Grasmick has been long-regarded as a champion for many of the progressive reforms we’ve implemented in Maryland,” O’Malley said. “These same reforms have helped build the foundation for the nation’s top-ranked schools.
Grasmick announced Wednesday that she will resign as of June 30. She has been Maryland’s superintendent. “Our students and our schools have made tremendous progress over the past two decades, and stand on the edge of even greater progress,” Grasmick said. “It has been my great honor and privilege to work with our state’s outstanding educators to provide our children with the educational system they richly deserve.”
Education Week has named Maryland the nation’s best public school system for three straight years.
U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., called Grasmick “the heart and soul” of the school system. “On a personal note, I have always valued Nancy’s judgment and advice and appreciated her dedication and commitment to the children of Maryland,” Cardin said.
