Baltimore City Public Schools history

The general school law of 1826 empowered the mayor and City Council of Baltimore to establish a separate system of public or primary schools in the city.

Unfortunately, it did not receive continued support and was discontinued soon after December 1787. It was not until March 1828, however, that an ordinance was passed creating a Board of Commissioners of Public Schools invested with power to establish and regulate a system of free public schools for the City of Baltimore.

On July 21, the board resolved to establish four schools; by September 9, teachers were selected; and on September 21, 1829, the first public school in the City of Baltimore was opened.

In early 1830, financial support for the schools began to come from a tax of 12.5 cents on every hundred dollars of assessable property (Ordinances 1830).

Finally, in October, 1839, a significant step was taken in expanding the work of the schools, when the Male High School, the first secondary school in Baltimore, was founded.

The July 26, 1843 edition of The Sun reported on the examinations of male and female students at Public Schools 1, 2 and 3 as the first order of business under Local Matters.

The establishment of the Public Floating School, in 1857, marked a significant contribution in the field of vocational education, and also represented a community approach to the solution of an educational problem.

Unfortunately, the public schools were not able to keep up with the growth of the city, and consequently, lost the position of educational leadership in the country, which they enjoyed in the 1860’s.

The Association opens its first school (School No.1) in the African Baptist Church, Calvert and Saratoga. (PC) [Putney says the school was housed in Crane’s Building, northeast corner of Calvert and Saratoga, a claim backed up by the September 4, 1865 Sun article, below.]

The office of treasurer was abolished on June 20, 1866, and John N. M’Jilton was appointed the first Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Referred to the committee on colored schools. (Sun) [Committee later reported against the petitioner, as per Sun, February 6, 1878.]

Found in 1880 census: 29 years old, New York native of Irish parents; married to Ellen C Grady, 32.

Sheridan and Biddle were elected to executive committee of Baltimore County Colored Teachers Association in December 1882, as per Sun, December 2, 1882.

Annual Report of School Commissioners for 1883 noted: “The building occupied by the Colored High and Grammar School and Male Colored School No.

Hold their first public meeting in the Fall of 1885; Frederick Douglass is principal speaker.

The new Colored High and Grammar on Saratoga Street is occupied for the first time (Sun, December 10, 1888). The school, which is under the direction of George L. Staley, has 643 pupils.

9, Carrollton & Riggs which opened in September 1889.

As late as 1896, this school’s 35 black teachers are still the only ones in public school system versus the 175 white teachers at the colored schools. [Thomas]

Confusion resulting from questionable practices of appointing and promoting teachers was lessened in 1897, when a revised set of civil service rules was adopted.

In July 1899, the new location was said to be the former site of an English-German School No.1, Pennsylvania and Dolphin.

By 1902 50% of colored schools were hiring colored teachers

In 1912, attendance laws raised the compulsory school age to fourteen years.

She is dead by February 28, 1919, according to Afro notice that her estate is being settled. [Krimmel has census, BCD entries, and information on her divorce from Biddle.]

In 1925, when the population of Baltimore rose to 800,055, the number of pupils grew to 96,630.

9 (as per Afro, March 9, 1929) included: George Biddle, head of boy’s department; Garrison D. Trusty, Roberta Sheridan, Ellen L. Anderson, Mary E. Taylor (later Rodman), Mrs.

In 1954, the desegregation of schools in Baltimore took place and the manner in which the system conformed to a non-segregation-basis gained national attention.

Murray’s mother, Madalyn (later, Madalyn Murray O’Hair), eventually took her case against prayer and Bible reading in the schools to the Supreme Court, where she won in June 1963.

Influenced by the success of public schools in Boston and New York City, Baltimore formed the Union Committee to formulate policy and regulate the operations of schools (Sheller 1982:27).

Their higher incomes were reflected in a state school-finance formula that has never “equalized” Baltimore City with most of the rest of Maryland–and that, in fact, finds Baltimore falling farther behind in the 1990’s.

Baltimore Schools remained a part of the city’s government until 1997, when partial control was ceded to the state in exchange for increased funding.