Karen Salmon, who has served as the interim superintendent of Maryland’s Department of Education since last fall, was appointed by the state board Tuesday to serve in the position full-time, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Salmon served for more than a decade as the superintendent of Talbot County in Maryland’s Eastern Shore region followed by a short stint as a district superintendent in upstate New York. In 2015, she was hired by Maryland’s Department of Education to serve as its assistant superintendent of college- and career-readiness before being tapped to serve as interim state superintendent. Former state Superintendent Jack Smith left the job last summer to serve as the superintendent of Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools.
“I am committed to collaborating with all of our stakeholders to ensure a world-class education for every Maryland public school student,” Salmon said, according to a statement posted on the department’s website. “I want to build on Maryland’s past accomplishments, streamline programs at the Maryland State Department of Education and articulate a shared vision for educational excellence.”
The state has had four superintendents over the last five years as the department has rolled out new standards, standardized tests, and an unpopular teacher evaluation system, according to the Sun.