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Worcester County Board of Education appoints Dr. Annette Wallace as superintendent, effective July 1
Summary
The Worcester County Board of Education voted 6–1 to appoint Dr. Annette Wallace as superintendent after a closed-session final interview; Mrs. Katie Addis cast the lone opposing vote.
The Worcester County Board of Education appointed Dr. Annette Wallace as superintendent of Worcester County Public Schools, effective July 1, following a closed-session final interview held April 23. The board voted 6–1, with Board member Katie Addis opposed.
Board presiding member, announcing the result, said the appointment followed a closed session conducted "pursuant to General Provisions Article 3-305(b) of the Annotated Code of Maryland" to hold final superintendent interviews. The presiding member said the motion to appoint Wallace was made by William Gordy and seconded by William Buchanan, and that the vote carried 6 to 1 with Addis opposed.
The decision capped a multi-stage search the board described as extensive. The board said it solicited input from across the school system to develop a leadership profile, circulated the vacancy broadly using local, regional and national advertisements, reviewed applicants and held in-person interviews on April 7. Two finalists—Dr. Annette Wallace and Dr. Monique Wheatley Phillip—spent two days in the district meeting panels, elected officials and media, and participated in a round-table panel interview before the full board.
The board described Wallace as a longtime Worcester County educator. According to the board's remarks, Wallace graduated from Snow Hill High School; taught at Stephen Decatur High School; served as assistant principal and then principal at Pocomoke High School; joined the central office in February 2018 as chief operations officer; and currently serves as chief safety and academic officer for grades 9–12. The board cited her "variety and depth of experience with our school system" and said those qualifications, together with her stated vision, led to the appointment.
Dr. Annette Wallace addressed the board and audience after the vote. She thanked the selection panels, the board and her family, and said she intends to keep students "at the heart of our work, our focus, and our decisions." Wallace said ensuring students read on grade level by grade 3 and supporting multiple postsecondary pathways will be priorities.
The board also approved the special meeting agenda at the start of the session on a motion by Donald Smack, seconded by William Buchanan; that vote was unanimous, the presiding member said. The meeting record shows a closed-session interview occurred "around 10:00" on April 23 under the cited provision of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
Dr. Wallace will assume the superintendent role July 1, according to the board's announcement. The board did not specify a contract term or salary during the public remarks.
