Finalists announced in superintendent search

ROCK HALL — Three frontrunners have emerged in the Kent County Board of Education’s search for the next superintendent of schools. The search process launched in January when Dr. Karen Couch, the current superintendent, announced her plans to retire at the end of the current school year.

The board hired the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) to lead the search for Couch’s replacement. With initial interview rounds complete, the board announced three finalists: Dr. Mary Boswell-McComas, Dr. LeTrecia Gloster and Dr. Dawn Lucarelli.

McComas is currently the principal of Sparrows Point Middle School, part of Baltimore County Public Schools. Baltimore County Public Schools has a total enrollment of more than 111,000 students in 176 schools. She began her career nearly three decades ago as a high school social studies teacher in Harford County Public Schools and moved up the administrative ladder to assistant principal, followed by instructional facilitator for secondary schools. She also served as an elementary and middle school principal in Baltimore City Public Schools, before moving to her current school system.

A Prince George’s County native, Gloster is the assistant superintendent of the School District of the City of York (Pa.), which has nine schools serving more than 6,200 students. Throughout her career of more than 20 years, she has held various leadership roles in diverse educational settings, ranging from rural to urban school districts. From mathematics teacher to middle school principal and executive director, she said she has consistently championed initiatives aimed at creating inclusive environments where every student can thrive. “I was profoundly influenced by my grandmother, a former teacher in Gullah Island located in South Carolina,” Gloster said. “It was my grandmother’s tireless dedication to providing equitable access to education that ignited my passion for serving others and becoming an educator myself.”

Lucarelli is the associate superintendent for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, serving 119 schools and more than 84,000 students. She has more than 30 years of experience in public education, having started in the classroom as a teacher and rising through the administrative ranks as an assistant principal, principal and regional assistant superintendent. “My mission is to ensure every student has access to opportunities in an environment that challenges and engages them in school and in life,” Lucarelli said. She describes herself as a data-driven, results-oriented leader. Next steps in the superintendent search process include tours of each school and a round of community stakeholder interviews later this month.

Kent County Public Schools’ new superintendent will start July 1. Learn more about the search process and read the finalists full biographies at https://www.kent.k12.md.us/SuperintendentSearch.aspx.