Some give good marks to FCPS for superintendent choice

Apr. 28—Leaders of some Frederick County groups expressed enthusiasm and optimism Wednesday after the school district announced its new superintendent.

Cheryl Dyson, an area associate superintendent in Montgomery County Public Schools, will lead Frederick County Public Schools starting July 1. She will be the first Black person and the third woman to serve as the district's superintendent.

"Dr. Dyson left a positive first impression," County Executive Jan Gardner wrote in an email Wednesday. "She is high energy and enthusiastic and clearly cares very much about education and supporting every student's success."

Since the announcement Tuesday afternoon, Gardner added, she's "consistently heard great feedback and accolades from teachers and others who have worked with [Dyson] and know her."

The seven members of the Frederick County Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Dyson, who is under contract to serve until June 2026. She will receive an annual salary of $265,000, according to a copy of her contract that FCPS posted online.

The announcement capped off a nationwide search that began in late February. The school board selected Dyson from an original slate of 18 candidates compiled by executive search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), which charged $35,000 for its services.

Willie Mahone, president of the local NAACP chapter, said he was glad to see the board choose a Black woman to lead the district.

In the community discussions that followed recent hate crime charges against three Middletown Middle School students who had been pictured in threatening anti-Black images, Mahone and other activists issued a challenge to FCPS.

"If you really want to send a strong message about where the school system stands," Mahone told board members at an open forum last month, "bring in a Black superintendent."

Dyson on Tuesday told the News-Post she didn't "want to get caught up" in the fact that she's the first Black person to hold the district's top post. Instead, she said, she wanted "to be the person that can turn it around for all children."

Still, for Mahone, the milestone was important.

He said he looks forward to working with Dyson on educational issues on which the NAACP has focused for years, including recruiting more minority staffers, and boosting honors and Advanced Placement participation among Black students.

"It's at least a signal or an implication that the board is moving in a different direction as it relates to equity," Mahone said of Dyson's appointment. "We are encouraged."

Kisha Coa, a parent and the co-chair of the school board's Racial Equity Committee, said it would "definitely be inspiring" for local students of color to see a Black woman in charge of their school system.

But, like Mahone, she said there is still plenty of work to be done.

In the weeks since the Middletown incident — and even long before — Coa said she's heard from students of color across the county who feel unsafe in their primarily white schools.

"Representation matters," Coa said. "And at the same time, one person can't change everything. I think there needs to be a culture shift."

Frederick County Teachers Association President Missy Dirks on Wednesday said her phone had been inundated with texts and social media messages from employees pleased with Dyson's appointment.

Their excitement made for a welcome change of pace, Dirks said.

"It's been a long couple of years with few points of celebration," she said.

Dyson will succeed Terry Alban, who abruptly retired in December after more than a decade as superintendent.

Alban's departure came after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation revealed widespread misuse of seclusion and restraint against FCPS students with disabilities.

Interim Superintendent Mike Markoe, who was Alban's deputy, has filled in as the district's leader since December. Markoe was considered for the permanent role, but not chosen.

Dirks, Mahone and Coa all said they'd like to see Dyson focus on transparent communication and community engagement.

Dyson is coming to FCPS from one of the largest school systems in the country.

MCPS has more than 160,000 students and a budget of roughly $2.7 billion per year. FCPS, meanwhile, is about one-third the size and consistently ranks near the bottom in statewide analyses of per-pupil funding.

The two districts are neighbors, Dirks said, but their resources and management structure are vastly different. At her current job as an associate superintendent, Dyson oversees 70 of the MCPS' 209 schools. FCPS has 68 schools total.

Dyson will be FCPS' first new superintendent in more than a decade. Her roots in Montgomery County will likely prove valuable, Dirks said, but the significant differences between her current district and her new one could also present challenges.

"It has pros and cons," Dirks said. "But I think at the beginning of things, people are looking at it with a very optimistic lens."