New Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Launches 90-Day Plan

July 1st, 2024

On Monday, July 1, 2024, his first official day on the job, Superintendent of the Howard County Public School System, William J. Barnes, launched a plan titled, “The First 90 Days” which details the priorities to begin the 2024-2025 school year. Since serving as Acting Superintendent since Jan. 10, 2024, Barnes has listened to students, school staff, central staff, families, community partners, and members of the Board of Education to identify the priorities in the plan.

The First 90 Days elevate seven priorities that will receive great attention through the remainder of summer and beginning of the school year, including:

• Strategic Vision
• Blueprint
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Learning
• Budget
• Transportation
• Human Resources

Within each priority are several key action steps that will drive the collaborative focus of the Superintendent’s leadership team and stakeholder partners.

“I am very excited to serve as Superintendent and begin the 2024-2025 school year in a really positive way,” said Superintendent Barnes. “In less than two months, students and staff will walk through the doors of their schools and we need to have a plan in place to ensure that we are ready. I am sharing this publicly to set forth a plan of widespread collaboration and accountability.”

There will be multiple opportunities for stakeholders to provide input and feedback on the priorities included in the plan as the action steps are being fulfilled. “I ask each and every person to join these efforts and provide feedback through the engagement opportunities that will be offered through the course of this plan,” added Barnes.

Additionally, Barnes commits to deploying new public dashboards to enhance transparency and accountability, so all stakeholders are informed partners in progress.