Amid School System Realignment, Administrator Retires

Mamie Perkins, a Howard County Public School System employee of 26 years, announced her retirement as deputy superintendent as the school system prepares for a realignment directed by the new superintendent Renee Foose.

Perkins said her plan was to retire after a new superintendent was fully transitioned, but before the new school year started, according to the Howard County Times. Her retirement became official on Aug. 1.

For several months during former superintendent Sydney Cousin's cancer treatment last year, Perkins was interim superintendent. Before she was named deputy superintendent in February 2011, Perkins had been chief of staff for Howard County Public School System since 2005, as well as a teacher and coordinator for the system since 1986. She also held several positions at Baltimore City schools before coming to Howard County, reports the Howard County Times.

Perkins' retirement comes amid several organizational shifts announced by Foose, but the deputy superintendent told the Howard County Times that her decision was independent from the new superintendent's plan.

Foose said in a memo that Chief Operating Officer Ray Brown is taking over as deputy superintendent, while continuing to oversee the school system's Bridge to Excellence and strategic planning.

Foose also in the memo, including the creation of a chief accountability office, the consolidation of the school system's print and TV departments into one communications office, and the merger of the student services and the special education departments.

The realignment plan will save the school system more than $170,000 according to Foose.

In a plan outlining her priorities for her first 90 days, Foose wrote: "The Howard County Public School System is viewed across Maryland and the nation as an innovative, high performing school district. However ... many stakeholders feel academic achievement at all levels has reached a plateau, organizational alignment to newly mandated initiatives is unclear, technological innovation is desired, and a strong spirit of collaboration and transparency must be embraced."

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