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Andrés Alonso bolts home, and heads to Harvard
Baltimore schools CEO leaves
Burly, bearded, direct in style and bold in substance, Baltimore
schools CEO Andrés Alonso changed the course of city education during
his six-year tenure here. Graduation rates rose, as did test scores,
enrollment, and hope.
The 56-year-old Cuban-born, Harvard Law School-educated bachelor,
known for his around-the-clock work ethic and high visibility in the
school system—as well as his sometimes tough decisions, such as closing
schools—leaves on the heels of a historic $1 billion agreement with the
General Assembly to rebuild the city schools’ infrastructure. Not that
it was all honor-roll stuff: He also battled a cheating scandal and
fiscal mismanagement questions.
A former lawyer who quit to teach special education in Newark, NJ,
for 12 years before coming to Baltimore, Alonso’s commitment to city
children was never doubted. But when he announced that he was quitting
in the middle of a four-year contract to care for his aging parents and
accept a Harvard professorship, the city—and school system—was caught by
surprise.
Rumors are he could be the next chancellor of the New York City
school system. Meanwhile, a permanent replacement has yet to be made.