St. Mary’s County Public Schools has filled a leadership post in its Title I and Family Engagement office, appointing a retired Charles County principal to a role that opened up after the district promoted its previous supervisor earlier this summer.
Superintendent Dr. J. Scott Smith announced that the Board of Education appointed Sandra Taylor as Supervisor of Title I & Family Engagement, a 12-month position in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, during the board’s Aug. 5 meeting. Taylor’s appointment takes effect Monday, Aug. 10. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree from Bowie State University, and spent her career as an administrator in Charles County Public Schools before retiring.
Taylor most recently served as principal of Milton M. Somers Middle School in Waldorf, and was recognized among the district’s retirees during Charles County Public Schools’ annual retirement ceremony honoring staff for their years of service to students. Records show she also worked as a middle school principal in CCPS earlier in the 2020s, building a career in school administration before crossing county lines to join the St. Mary’s system.
The supervisor role Taylor is stepping into became vacant after the St. Mary’s County Board of Education promoted its previous Title I supervisor into the department’s top job. The board named Kristin Shields as the 12-month director of Title I and family engagement at its June 24 meeting, elevating her from supervisor of Title I within the same department; Shields holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from Bowie State University. That June appointment, effective July 1, was part of a broader round of administrative moves the board approved heading into the new school year, alongside new assistant principals at Margaret Brent and Spring Ridge middle schools.
The Title I and Family Engagement office coordinates federally funded programs aimed at closing academic achievement gaps in schools serving larger shares of low-income students. The department oversees Title I, Part A funding, which flows to schools identified by the Maryland State Department of Education for additional support under the Every Student Succeeds Act, along with the Judy Center initiative, which supports early childhood development and family engagement in Title I and other high-needs elementary schools statewide. Every Title I school in the district is required to maintain a formal Parent Involvement Plan, including a signed compact outlining what schools and families commit to doing together to help students succeed academically.
Taylor’s appointment continues a pattern that has become familiar at SMCPS board meetings over the past several years, as the district regularly fills administrative vacancies with a mix of internal promotions and outside hires who bring experience from neighboring school systems. The board has approved a steady string of similar personnel actions in recent months, including new supervisors in the district’s fiscal services and special education departments and a new chief operating officer hired in 2024.
The appointment comes as SMCPS prepares to open the 2026-2027 school year with a nearly full slate of administrative leadership in place. District officials have said in past personnel announcements that filling roles like the Title I supervisor position ahead of the school year helps ensure continuity for schools that rely on the office’s coordination of federal funding, family engagement programming and academic support services.
Taylor will report to Shields in the newly restructured Title I and Family Engagement office as the district works to strengthen support for schools serving higher-need student populations. Additional information about the department’s programs, including Title I eligibility and the district’s Judy Center sites, is available on the St. Mary’s County Public Schools website.
