Cecil County Superintendent Jeffrey Lawson was named Maryland’s Superintendent of the Year this month following years of conflict with the county executive over school funding.

“It’s a privilege to serve the students, faculty, staff and community in Cecil County,” Lawson said in a news release from the school system last week. “Throughout my career, I have placed value on serving others and supporting our students and staff to achieve excellence. This recognition belongs to each part of our amazing system as they are worthy of such celebration.”

The Superintendent of the Year is chosen annually by a panel of Maryland superintendents following an extensive application process, according to the release. Candidates are judged on leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.

The winner then goes on to represent the state in the National Superintendent of the Year process through the School Superintendents Association. The National Superintendent of the Year will be announced in February, according to the association’s website.

Lawson has served 40 years in public education, starting as a math teacher in Delaware before transitioning to CCPS in 2009 as the system’s executive director.

In 2018, Lawson was appointed to his first term as superintendent, his second 2022.

Lawson is a past president of the Eastern Shore of Maryland Educational Consortium and the Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland.

Much of his current term has been defined by his advocacy for CCPS funding. The school system was funded at the state-mandated minimum by County Executive Danielle Hornberger this year. She blamed a “failure to budget” by Lawson.

Through Board of Education meetings, budget hearings and community meetings, Lawson pleaded with county leadership to fully fund the school system’s proposed annual budget — rallying community support for public education along the way.

“My goal is always to secure adequate funding for the school system, and I have been consistent with that, and that is how I will always be,” Lawson told The Baltimore Sun on Sunday. “I am always going to do the job and fight for what is right on behalf of the school system.”

Lawson’s advocacy for public education birthed an increase in student interest in the county budget and the student-led advocacy group, Fund CCPS, which gained support from thousands of county residents.

Fund CCPS’s Fund Our Future Rally last winter drew thousands to the lawn of the Cecil County Government Administration Building, where parents, teachers and students urged Hornberger to dedicate more county funds to schools and protested anticipated budget cuts to school programs and teacher positions.

Hornberger later launched an ethics complaint against Lawson that accused him of using taxpayer dollars for political purposes during school hours and CCPS meetings. Among the allegations was Lawson’s and other district employees’ participation in the Fund Our Future Rally, where Hornberger alleged that Lawson used taxpayer-funded school buses to transport participants to the rally.

The Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education investigated the claims of Lawson misusing school funds and said investigators could not substantiate the allegation. Bus owners said they donated their time and services, the inspector general for education said.

A CCPS ethics panel dismissed the complaint.

Fund CCPS urged county Democrats to switch their affiliation to Republican to support Hornberger’s primary election challenger, Adam Streight, who defeated Hornberger in the primaries, and Democrat candidate Bill Kilby in the general election.

During fiscal year 2023 budget season, Lawson routinely spoke before and met with state lawmakers to discuss the state’s decade-long, multibillion-dollar education plan, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Lawson was vocal about what he felt would work well with the Blueprint, what might need improvement and what yielded challenges for Cecil County’s school system.

“Dr. Lawson’s deep understanding of the complexities of the Blueprint and its differing impacts on districts made him the perfect voice for the diverse needs of our 24 school systems,” said Mary Pat Fannon, executive director of the Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland, in the release.

Cecil County Board of Education President Diana Hawley said Lawson is a “genuine and tireless advocate for public education,” who focuses on quality and transparency.

“His active approach, focus on quality curriculum, and commitment to transparency have impacted our district and beyond,” Hawley said in the release. “Dr. Lawson’s experienced, trusted voice has also helped guide the realistic and effective implementation of Maryland’s educational reform changes, earning him the respect of leaders across the state.”

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.