Baltimore City schools are officially gaining three new board commissioners with the power to guide the education system.
Mayor Brandon Scott hosted a swearing-in ceremony for his new appointees Wednesday. They’re part of the nine total appointed members by Scott on the 12-person board of school commissioners. Student Commissioner Dylan Rooks, a senior at City College High School, also took the oath and signed the ceremonial book.
“It is no secret that our young people mean the world to me, and that they are our most precious resource,” Scott said at the ceremony. “When we fill these roles, we look for the best of the best to serve the students of Baltimore. The three commissioners we will swear in today were selected from one of the largest applicant pools in the last few years.”
Emily Ames-Messinger has served as a social studies teacher in the district, and a community school coordinator. She currently works for the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Stefan Lallinger is the executive director of policy think tank Next100, and has nine years of experience as a teacher and principal in New Orleans. He also worked in the New York City department of education.
And Ashiah Parker is the director of local nonprofit No Boundaries Coalition, which works to educate and empower West Baltimore residents. She also works at Funk & Bolton law firm, and has served as an auditor for the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.
All three have children who are currently enrolled, gearing up to enroll or have graduated from the city school system.
Ames-Messinger said her community school coordinator experience will serve as a guide during her tenure — especially as federal and state education funding decrease.
“The community school strategy is a really, really important way of like, ‘How do we fill in those pieces financially?’” she told WYPR. “But also just in terms of like, mentorship and relationships and people and bodies in our buildings that care about our students and are able to invest in their skills.”
Student Commissioner Rooks said he’s had practice being the voice of students during earlier student government roles.
“Now I have more leverage to do more things, sign more things, vote on more things for the students,” he said.
He said one topic he’s planning to focus on is the city school food options — which he’s heard students express grievances about.
Mayor Scott also swore in two returning school commissioners for a second term on Wednesday: Andrew Coy and Khalila Slater-Harrington.
