Monday, July 6, 2026

Join us at a Meet the Superintendent event

Share your ideas and hopes with Superintendent Dr. Bill Heiser

BCPS will host six “Meet the Superintendent” events this summer. Superintendent Dr. Bill Heiser is eager to hear directly from community members about their priorities and hopes for BCPS.

Spanish interpretation will be provided at each meeting. To request interpreting services for other languages, please call 443-809-1250 as soon as possible.

Learn more about Dr. Heiser's background and accomplishments and the selection process in a recent BCPS news release. A separate news release describes his appointment.

Committee members needed for Overlea High School boundary study

Volunteers asked to express interest by Sunday, July 19

BCPS seeks two parents/caregivers each from Loch Raven, Overlea, and Parkville high schools and Cockeysville, Loch Raven Academy, Nottingham, Parkville, Pine Grove, and Ridgely middle schools to serve on a new boundary study committee.

The purpose of the study is to provide capacity relief to Overlea High by balancing enrollment among the three high schools. Those interested in participating on the study committee should complete the Committee Member Interest Form or contact their school principal. Committee members will be selected this summer and will meet up to six times between October and January 2027.

More information can be found in a news release and on the Overlea High School Capacity Relief Boundary Study webpage.

Summer Stories: High school students spend the day learning from entrepreneurs at Towson University

Ten students from Dulaney, Hereford, and Towson high schools’ Career Summer Camps spent June 30 interacting with 11 entrepreneurs from the Towson University Accelerator Program. 

During the daylong field trip, which was coordinated by their career navigators, the students spent time brainstorming, networking, and discussing entrepreneurship and internship possibilities. One highlight of the day was an inspirational presentation from Tony Covington, founder & CEO of I AM UNDERDOG, Inc., and a former NFL player. 

Read more in a Summer Stories blog post.

Summer Stories: Patapsco High hosts Career JumpStart Summer Camp

A new blog post by Cindy Howes, career navigator at Patapsco High School, describes the school's three-day Career JumpStart Camp.

Throughout the camp, 15 participating students created professional resumes, practiced interview skills, developed essential soft skills, learned about financial literacy, selected professional attire from the school's Career Closet, and visited local businesses to apply from jobs. Partners that presented to students included the Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development and APG Federal Credit Union.

To submit a blog post or suggest a story idea, please write to communications@bcps.org. We want to know about your summer jobs/internships/externships, vacations, creative projects, competitions, camps, and more!

New student member of the Board sworn in

On July 1, Claire Jabaji, a rising senior at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, was sworn in as the student member of the Board of Education of Baltimore County for the 2026-2027 school year. Photos from the ceremony can be found on Flickr.

If at first you don't succeed...

In one of the books recommended this week by our wonderful colleagues in the Baltimore County Public Library Collection Development Department, a child faces the challenging task of learning to tie their own shoelaces and discovering that failures lead to success if you keep trying. That message about perseverance and resilience is echoed in the three other highlighted books.



Many thanks to our library friends for these great recommendations, and please remember to stop by your local library branch to participate in the summer reading program, have them put together a Be Surprised Bundle for you, and take part in their many activities.

Focus on Families

from BCPS Parent University

CCBC offers free community swim hours this summer

CCBC pools are open and free to the community this summer during designated swim hours through Thursday, Aug. 20. Swimmers will need to complete an online waiver and get a CCBC OneCard before using the pool.

Pool hours:

• CCBC Catonsville: Tuesday and Thursday, 6:30-8 p.m.
• CCBC Dundalk: Monday and Wednesday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.
• CCBC Essex: Tuesday and Thursday, 3-5 p.m.

Art Showcase

"Balloons" by Anna Ballinger, Catonsville High School. At the 38th Annual BCPS High School Art Exhibition, this oil painting earned honorable mention honors in the Baltimore County Public Schools Awards. The exhibition is on display at The Towson University StarTUp at The Armory (307 Washington Ave, Towson 21204) through Friday, July 31.

Mission Moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

Help us prepare for the back-to-school season

To prepare for the next back-to-school season, The Education Foundation needs the community’s help to stock the shelves at the Exchangerees – its two educator resource centers where teachers shop for school supplies and classroom materials at no cost to themselves.

Here's how you can help!

• Host a Tools for School Drive. Collect school supplies during July and August, and then, contact The Education Foundation (edfoundation@bcps.org or 443-809-8962) to schedule a donation drop-off.

• Join us for the 4th Annual Stuff the Bus event. Buy school supplies and donate them to this year’s Stuff the Bus event will take place on Saturday, August 15, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Walmart Supercenter, 1 Frankel Way, Cockeysville 21030.

• Show your support all year long. The Exchangerees are open to BCPS educators for shopping all year long! That means we need donations all year long to keep our shelves stocked!

• Start planning your end-of-year giving. Monetary donations are always welcome. Donate anytime or engage in one of our end-of-year giving campaigns.

Learn more in a recent Mission Moment blog post.

Highlights from Dr. Heiser

July 6, 2026

Dear Team BCPS:

I hope you are having an enjoyable summer. Today marks the beginning of my first full week as superintendent, and I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to return to Team BCPS and serve this exceptional community. I look forward to meeting many of you over the next several months. 

While I most recently worked as the chief operating officer for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, I have close ties to Baltimore County and the Baltimore region spanning more than two decades. I believe these close ties will be an asset as I rejoin Team BCPS. I had the immense privilege of serving as the principal of Catonsville High School from 2013-2015, where I formed strong and lasting relationships in the school, across the system, and in the community.  

Even as my career has taken me to neighboring systems over the past few years, I want you to know that I remained deeply connected to Team BCPS and have always been inspired by your talent, resilience, and profound belief in this system and its children. 

As I begin my superintendency, I pledge to lead with openness, clarity, and accountability. I am confident that we will build on our achievements as a system and improve outcomes for all students because of our shared commitment to excellence and ensuring student success. I am excited for this next chapter in the BCPS story, and I look forward to working alongside this community on behalf of our 108,000 students.

Sincerely,

Bill Heiser, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Upcoming Board meeting

All are welcome to attend

Board of Education meeting

Tuesday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m.

BCPS headquarters/Greenwood, 6901 N. Charles St., Building E, Towson 21204