Thornton came to Baltimore from Milwaukee in 2014 to fill the shoes of popular former schools CEO Andrés Alonso, whose six-year run was marked by reform and occasional controversy, but also widely viewed as successful as test scores and graduation rates improved.

Currently, Santelises, 48, is the vice president for K-12 Policy and Practice at The Education Trust, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on closing the achievement gap. Prior to joining The Education Trust, Santelises served as the chief academic officer of the Baltimore City Public Schools from 2010-2013 under Alonso.

“We believe Dr. Santelises is the person to lead Baltimore City Schools for the next 10 years,” said Marnell Cooper, chairman of the City Board of School Commissioners in a statement. “The board recognizes that the work Dr. Santelises performed as chief academic officer in Baltimore set us in a direction where the students were improving. We believe her most recent experience at The Education Trust in Washington has given her an even broader perspective and will result in greater academic achievement in Baltimore City.”

Thornton faced a number of challenges during the past two years, including budget shortfalls and a lawsuit over funding with city public charter schools.

Among others, state Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat and former school board member Kalman Hettlemen, in recent months had called for Thornton to step down or be removed, citing a lack of leadership and vision.

By its own admission, the City School Board of Commissioners had been secretly looking to replace Thornton since December.

“This was a situation involving peoples’ careers and we didn’t want rumors spreading. We had an obligation to keep our discussions with Dr. Thornton and with all of the candidates confidential,” Cooper said. “We also did not want to distract the school district, so our teachers and principals could focus on giving students the best possible education.”

Baltimore Teachers Union president Marietta English said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that she was caught off guard by the unexpected announcement by the school board.

“Dr. Thornton’s departure from BCPSS at this time is surprising. He worked very hard to ensure that our students, teachers, PSRPs and staff were treated fairly,” English said. “I applaud the work he did to make sure our students were able to keep specials like art and music. He also expanded interscholastic sports to the middle school level. I wish him the best and look forward to working with Dr. Sonja Santelises, who we know very well. I know Dr. Santelises will listen to our concerns as we move forward.”

Santelises, who lives in Baltimore with her husband and three daughters, told WBAL-TV in a brief interview that she came back to Baltimore because she believes the city is place where the education system has a genuine chance to move forward.

“This is a place we can get it done,” Santelises said. “My piece doesn’t change from what it’s been my entire career. This is about bringing excellent, enriching, educational opportunities to all young people in Baltimore because we need to prepare them to lead. That’s what the work is about.”

Prior to coming to Baltimore in 2010, Santelises worked in Boston Public Schools from 2006 to 2010 as assistant superintendent overseeing 25 pilot schools established to improve the academic performance of low-income students and students of color. She also served as the acting deputy superintendent for teaching and learning, and assistant superintendent for professional development.

Previously, she was also the executive director of the New York City Algebra Project, a national math reform program, and from 1992 to 1995 she taught at Decatur Clearpool School in Brooklyn, NY, where she was a curriculum specialist and oversaw the founding of the middle school. Before that, she joined Teach for America in 1989 as their national director of professional development and national teacher placement.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University—which profiled Santelises in the school’s magazine several years ago—she holds a Master of Arts degree in education administration from Columbia University and a Doctor of Education in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University. Her educational career began in 1989 when she joined Teach for America, New York, as national director of Professional Development and National Teacher Placement.

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Born and raised in Philadelphia, according to a bio provided
by BCPS, Thornton attended Philadelphia public schools and then Temple
University, earning his degree in elementary education in 1977. After
starting as a teacher, he quickly moved to the principal ranks, serving
as principal at four elementary and high schools in Maryland, Delaware,
and North Carolina between 1981 and 1997.

“There are defining
points in one’s career and one’s life, and opportunities like this one,
to really transform the lives of children, come along rarely,” Thornton
said in a press release.
“Baltimore’s school district is in an exciting place, where there is
work underway and a strong base of community support in place to change
the future for our children. Baltimore’s students deserve the best
possible education, to be competitive and meet the challenges of this
new economy and ever-changing world.”

Thornton has big shoes to fill in replacing Alonso, who recently accepted a prestigious professorship at Harvard
and whose six-year tenure leading the city school system was widely
hailed for lowering the drop rate and increasing graduation numbers.

In
2004, Thornton became chief academic officer of the School District
of Philadelphia, “overseeing all facets of the instructional, school
management, accountability, policy and compliance programs of the
190,000-student, $2.2 billion district and its then 272 schools,”
according to the BCPS bio.

“We have a solid foundation of
progress, and we are now building on that progress through the
implementation of long-term reforms in areas where Dr. Thornton has deep
experience and demonstrated expertise,” said school board chair
Shanaysha Sauls in making the announcement. “Additionally, the
priorities and values exhibited across Dr. Thornton’s career align
closely with those driving the work in City Schools—from engaging
parents and communities to investing in the capacity of staff and
embracing the importance of high-quality learning environments.”

Freeman
A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore
County, described Thornton as “one of the nation’s most admired
educational leaders.”

“Dr. Thornton is known to be a strong
academic leader, one who understands the importance of emphasizing the
whole child,” Hrabowski said in a statement. “Most important, he knows
how to build community involvement in a school system and is committed
to supporting urban children and families. His experience in several
major school districts around the country will serve him well in
Baltimore.”

From the Baltimore City Public Schools press release:

“Dr.
Thornton comes to Baltimore nearly four years into the superintendency
in Milwaukee, a district comparable in size to City Schools, with 80,000
students, 165 schools and a $1.1 billion budget. Under his leadership,
Milwaukee Public Schools has seen an increase in its graduation rate, in
the number of students attending college and in college scholarships;
scholarships for the Class of 2013 topped $24 million, up from $18
million the year before. Like Baltimore City, Milwaukee participates in
the National Assessment of Educational Progress Trial Urban District
Assessment, and the latest TUDA results from December 2013 show
Milwaukee student achievement scores not only on the rise, but growing
at a faster pace than the national average in reading and mathematics.”

Milwaukee magazine profiled Thornton in April of 2012.

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