TOWSON, Md. — Drivers on busy Charles Street in Towson pass the headquarters of a school district serving over 100,000 students. A banner hangs outside it, welcoming the system's new leader.
"I think, ultimately, education is a people business. It is about people," Dr. Bill Heiser observed. 42 days ago, on July 1, he took over the district's top job.
Heiser, a Bowie native and Loyola graduate with 25 years of experience across three school districts, is the system's third superintendent in seven years. He most recently served as chief operating officer for Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
New year, new leader: Baltimore County superintendent intends to listen
Baltimore County Public Schools is two and a half weeks away from the first day of school, and on Wednesday, Heiser led a roundtable with reporters at the school system's Greenwood Campus on Charles Street in Towson. While no speedy, sweeping changes are expected, Heiser outlined priorities including improving employee morale, raising expectations, and strengthening school culture.
He described a listen-first approach for parents and faculty as they face pressing issues, including digital learning. He did advocate for less tech for younger students, and said the existing off-and-away cell phone policy will remain in place.
"We don't wanna get too far out in front of the issue. There's some districts around the country that have done that, around technology, making some kind of rash decisions, [we] want to make sure that we're measured in our approach, we get all the right listening to the right research, the right voices in this conversation," Heiser said.
Heiser will also address lagging MCAP scores at an upcoming press conference. He plans to visit overcrowded schools, and work to build trust across the district.
An In Focus look at Baltimore County's MCAP scores
The state's Blueprint for Maryland's Future calls for higher teacher salaries, though Heiser noted that fewer people are entering the profession.
"We have to find people that want to be here and wanna work with kids, and that wanna do great things for kids, and we have that right now. But again, the teacher pipeline, less students are going majoring in education. The numbers are really clear," Heiser noted.
He said teacher vacancies are currently in the 70 range, and the system is actively working to fill those positions.
With another budget cycle approaching and union negotiations expected this year, Heiser acknowledged that past budgets have been challenging. His plan for Baltimore County Public Schools centers on four elements: accelerating growth, financial efficiency, gaining talent, and engaging with people.
"It's not something that, you know, you just wake up one day and meet. You try to chip away at it every single day, is the way that I approached, I try to approach my work, and hopefully I'll model that for everyone in Team BCPS," Heiser said.
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