Baltimore City’s School Board has approved Chief Academic Officer Sonja Santelises as Baltimore’s New Schools Superintendent.

As reported by the Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore city school board approved a four-year-contract Tuesday for the new superintendent Sonja Santelises, ushering in what many hope will be a renewed focus on academics after the troubled tenure of her predecessor.

For more information see Baltimore city school board approves contract for new CEO, other leadership appointments from the Baltimore Sun.

The choice of Santelises could signal a new commitment to academic achievement, based on her professional and personal background, according to the Sun,

As Santelises takes the helm of the state’s fourth-largest school system — with one of the largest minority populations — she brings with her a deeply held conviction that poor, black children are too often treated as if they are intellectually inferior.

The new Superintendent will face both academic and budget challenges, as described by the Sun,

Santelises, who will step into her new role July 1, takes over at a tumultuous time. Standardized test scores have plunged, enrollment is declining, the budget is strapped and charter schools are waging a legal battle against the district over funding.

For more information see Sonja Santelises, the next Baltimore schools CEO, says: ‘It can be done’ from the Baltimore Sun.