Washington County superintendent announces he will not seek another contract

Superintendent David Sovine told the Washington County Board of Education on Feb. 17 that he has decided not to seek another contract with Washington County Public Schools. "I have decided not to seek another contract with WCPS," Sovine said, and he told the board and public he has already shared the news with staff, board members and close community partners.

Sovine used his remarks to summarize what he called the district's accomplishments during his four years in office: back-to-back highs in kindergarten readiness, strong performance on Maryland assessments relative to the state average, expanded dual-enrollment partnerships with Hagerstown Community College and a rise in AP pass rates and multilingual learner outcomes. He said more than half of juniors and seniors now take dual-enrollment courses with HCC and cited pass rates as high as 98% in some programs.

Sovine described efforts to invest in "growing our own" educators through apprenticeship and grant-funded initiatives and highlighted that more than half of schools earned 4- or 5-star ratings on the Maryland School Report Card. He said multilingual learner enrollment has nearly doubled in four years and that the district now "ranks number 1" for progress with those learners.

Board members thanked Sovine for his leadership. President Evans and other members praised his work responding to post-pandemic challenges and building partnerships. Sovine said his focus remains on students and on "finishing this school year strong," and he committed to positioning the district so the next superintendent "steps into the strongest possible foundation."