Harford County schools announce finalists to replace fired superintendent

Harford County Public Schools announced Thursday afternoon that Stacey Gerringer, the principal of Abingdon Elementary School, and Dyann Mack, the school system’s interim superintendent, are in the running to replace fired Superintendent Sean Bulson.

Both finalists have worked in Harford’s school system for over 30 years. Gerringer has been a teacher, mentor, teacher specialist and assistant principal. Mack has also been a teacher, assistant principal and principal, as well as both director and executive director of the district’s school instruction and performance department.

The board plans to make its final selection before the end of May, according to a Thursday news release.

Mack, who was previously one of Harford’s deputy superintendents, became the interim schools chief in February after Harford’s board fired Bulson amid accusations of inappropriate behavior during a New Orleans work trip in 2024.

Before he was fired, Bulson spent eight years leading Harford schools, one of the longest terms in the state. Harford residents and elected leaders like County Executive Bob Cassilly began calling for Bulson’s removal after audio of a 911 call he made circulated on social media.

While at the National School Boards Association conference in April 2024, Bulson said he believed a woman, whose name he did not know, stole items, including school-issued devices, from his hotel room while he was sleeping.

Critics lambasted Bulson for potentially compromising student data and accused him of immorality and infidelity. Bulson told The Banner in April that he believed he was drugged, that he doesn’t remember putting his belongings in the room safe where hotel staff said they were later found, and that he doesn’t remember anything sexual happening that night

The next leader of Harford County schools will be met with a divided community, with one side highly critical of district leadership and the other frustrated by the amount of time officials spend on topics that have little to do with academics.

The next superintendent will also have to work with a county executive who has criticized school system spending and fought with Bulson over funding. The school board, with both appointed and elected members, is also divided, though it will look a lot different later this year; only one of the six elected members is running for another term. One of the three seats for appointed members is vacant after former board member Mark Korn resigned.

Mack, a Joppatowne High School graduate, holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Walden University, a master’s in educational leadership from Loyola College and a bachelor’s in early childhood and elementary education from Lincoln University.

Gerringer holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Wilmington University, a master’s in administration and supervision from Loyola College, a bachelor’s in elementary education from Towson University and an associate’s in arts from Essex Community College.

The school board selected the Maryland Association of Boards of Education to conduct the search, according to the news release. The position was posted in April and open to local, state and national candidates. Mack and Gerringer will meet with school community groups May 18 so that members of the public can share their input with the board before the new superintendent is selected.

Harford is home to 55 schools with over 37,000 students and 5,600 staffers. Over 60% of students are proficient in English, according to state test data, and 28.4% are proficient in math.

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