Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury has asked officially to renew his contract in a letter sent to the state’s Board of Education, according to a Maryland State Department of Education spokesperson. The board will vote on Choudhury’s contract renewal toward the end of the month.

Choudhury met his Saturday deadline to formally declare to the board whether he intended to remain in the position. He told The Baltimore Sun last month that he’s committed to staying for a 10-year period.

The board will decide at its July 25 meeting whether to renew the contract, and the superintendent must be notified of the outcome within a week.

Choudhury became superintendent in July 2021 and has been at the forefront of rolling out the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s historic reform plan that will channel billions of dollars into public schools over the next decade.

The vote on Choudhury’s contract renewal follows allegations by some former department employees that he oversaw a toxic workplace. Additionally, the state education department returned more than $800,000 in grants to the U.S. Department of Education, which some former employees blamed this on mismanagement. The money was intended for salaries, professional development and conferences, not schools directly.

The state education department announced at a meeting last week that department vacancies are the lowest they’ve been since at least 2013, declining under Choudhury’s leadership specifically.

Board President Clarence C. Crawford defended the superintendent’s record at the meeting and previously said he would like for Choudhury to stay in his role. Board Vice President Susan Getty also praised “his expertise and talent.”

Gov. Wes Moore last month appointed three new board members, who also will have a say over Choudhury’s contract: outgoing Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Monica Goldson, former Montgomery County high school teacher-turned-lawyer Samir Paul and Howard County High School student Abisola Ayoola.