The Baltimore City School Board elected new leadership Tuesday evening after the sudden departure of its president and vice president this week.

Robert Salley, who has a background in teaching and educational policy, was elected president with the support of seven members. Three members of the board of directors abstained. Salley was appointed to the board in 2022.

Ashiah Parker, a Sandtown resident who is executive director of the No Boundaries Coalition, an advocacy organization trying to address long-standing racial and economic barriers in West Baltimore neighborhoods, was elected vice-president. president.

The votes came after the resignations of President Ronald McFadden and Vice President Shantell Roberts. over the past 24 hours in letters to Mayor Brandon Scott. The mayor will have to appoint two new members to the board of directors.

The unusual departures in the middle of the school year came after a push for more power from board members who believed McFadden and Roberts had left them in the dark about negotiations with CEO Sonja Santelises over a new contract.

McFadden had the support of the majority of the board until the mayor appointed three new members in July. The mayor has generally supported Santelises, the longest-serving superintendent in decades.

Last month, with the favorable vote of the three new members, the board of directors extended Santelises’ contract for another year, until June 30, 2026.

McFadden and Roberts voted against the action, and they also did not stand when the rest of the room jumped to their feet and cheered the CEO.

McFadden and Roberts did not respond to requests for comment. Board members did not comment on what happened behind closed doors before the departures. The board met for an hour in executive session Tuesday evening before opening the meeting to the public and voting on new leaders with virtually no comment.

In an interview after the board meeting, Salley and Parker said they were excited to take on their new roles.

Parker said she and Salley asked to be considered for leadership positions at Tuesday night’s board meeting. “Commissioner Salley is the longest serving member of the board. He has the expertise. He has the history of the organization and he wanted to be considered in a time of transition,” Parker said.

She said she believes she can support Salley and hopes to be a bridge builder on the board.

Salley said the board will be “hyper focused” on communicating with families and the city schools community. “We are very excited about this opportunity,” Salley said.

Santelises declined to comment.

“We would like to thank our leaders for their service and commitment to the city’s schools,” Salley said, reading a statement during the virtual meeting. “Our Board of Trustees remains focused on fulfilling and strengthening our governance responsibilities in service of our students. » He said the school board was committed to a transparent search for the school system’s next CEO, an issue that was of concern to unions and members of the public.

Salley and Parker will lead the board until the end of the school year.

Although board members never engaged in contentious exchanges during public sessions, the former board president and vice president’s animosity toward Santelises was evident.

Baltimore-area school boards have generally kept disputes over superintendent contracts out of the public eye, often holding private votes on a superintendent before coming to open session and voting unanimously to support the majority choice for superintendent.

But in Baltimore, that dissension came to light when Roberts first voted in June against a one-year contract extension for Santelises, then left the meeting before it ended. McFadden and Roberts were among three board members to vote against adding an additional year to the contract extension in October.

Most school boards elect their officers annually, but the city council gives them two years. McFadden and Roberts would therefore have continued to lead the board of directors until June 2025.

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