Submitted photos
From left: James D. Cornelius and Mohammed Choudhury.
James Cornelius, left, worked with Madison superintendent finalist Mohammed Choudhury at the Maryland State Department of Education.
James D. Cornelius was in charge of technology for the Maryland State Department of Education when Mohammed Choudhury took over as state superintendent in 2021.
Although Choudhury — recently announced as a finalist for Madison superintendent — told Cornelius he’d be replacing him as chief information officer at their first meeting, Cornelius was on the job for another three months. Almost immediately, Choudhury’s leadership style started rubbing department veterans the wrong way, says Cornelius, who had been with the department by that time for more than a decade.
“He’s not a community builder, he’s not good at communication," says Cornelius.
Cornelius says his staff had successfully kept operations running smoothly through the pandemic, but Choudhury “just came in and started saying you’re not doing it the right way.”
“He doesn’t have the technical background to tell any [chief information officer] how to be doing things,” adds Cornelius. “He was a stark contrast to superintendents I had worked with, because most of them have PhDs and have also been superintendents before. He didn’t have the educational background or the experience.”
Cornelius says that when he presented Choudhury with a list of high-level tech security issues in the department, Choudhury didn’t want to hear about them. “Don’t tell me we’re any less secure than any other state office,” Cornelius says Choudhury replied. “He just shut it down.”
A Jan. 2023 legislative audit subsequently found “deficiencies” with the department’s “security and control over its information systems and network.”
Cornelius also says Choudhury refused to talk to the press; the Maryland inspector general for education is currently investigating Choudhury for improperly shielding communications from public records requests.
Choudhury declined to comment for this story.
Cornelius wasn’t the only colleague of Choudhury’s to criticize his leadership style after departing.
“The culture at MSDE over the last months of my tenure came to be defined by a lack of communication, gaslighting, bullying, structural inefficiencies and a culture of fear perpetrated by the highest levels of leadership,” Nina Roa, the department’s director of finance and legislation for career programs, wrote in a February 2023 letter to the school board, governor, and an oversight board. Others from a group of dozens that formed to discuss the department’s work culture also sent their own letters, according to the Baltimore Banner.
Allegations of a “toxic” environment and poor communication came to light in a variety of other press reports during Choudhury’s time in Maryland. Choudhury ultimately resigned from his superintendent post this past October.
Cornelius says during his 20 years in education, he has seen top leaders escape accountability by leaving for new states or districts, and includes Choudhury in that list. “When you have superintendents who are run out of town that are welcomed into a new town with open arms, you have to wonder why,” he says.
“I almost fell out of my chair yesterday when I found out Madison was considering this guy.”
Choudhury is one of three finalists for superintendent in Madison, along with Joe Gothard, the superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools and a former Madison principal, and Yvonne Stokes, a former superintendent of Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Indiana. Stokes also resigned under pressure from conservative school board members who took issue with her diversity and inclusion efforts as superintendent. All three will be interviewed by various panels Feb. 6-7.
When asked for comment on the allegations against Choudhury by Cornelius and others, school district leaders said they were happy with their final three options for superintendent. “Our board has done exhaustive work in selecting our finalists, and we remain confident with the process and the selection of our finalists,” the district said in an unsigned email to Isthmus sent by communications staffer Ellie Herman.
The email pointed to a previous statement from school board president Nichelle Nichols: “We are extremely pleased with the pool of candidates for this position. They each reflect the diverse needs of our community and the competencies that we agreed upon in November. Our three finalists have exceeded our expectations, and we’re excited for the community to meet them….”
There was substantial pushback as Choudhury’s contract came up for renewal in Maryland last year. Some defended him and supported renewal, calling him “smart, knowledgeable, equity-minded, and driven.”
In July, the Washington Post published an investigation into criticism of Choudhury based on more than 50 interviews with current and former colleagues and others in the Maryland education world. “A number of former and current employees say he has created a ‘toxic’ environment that has driven out some of his own handpicked lieutenants and dozens of veterans,” wrote the Post. “They point to heated exchanges in which Choudhury’s employees are seen in tears after meeting with him. In a letter to state officials, former staffer Robert Eccles described a ‘pattern of verbal bashing and diminishing others in the presence of staff members.’”
The story also details “claims that Choudhury’s leadership led to late payments to school districts and partner agencies; the return of more than $800,000 of unused funds for vocational instruction to the federal government; late reports to Maryland’s legislature, after which annoyed lawmakers conditioned $1.5 million in future funds on a timely delivery of information; and frayed relations with Maryland’s Accountability and Implementation Board.”
Choudhury told the Post he had “inherited a dysfunctional department with a workforce accustomed to inefficiency — and that his detractors are unwilling to embrace the change he is determined to bring to Maryland.”
Choudhury also pushed back on criticism of his leadership in a letter to top elected officials in Maryland. “I want to acknowledge upfront the recent claims that have surfaced about the department in the press. I see these headlines as well — allegations of a toxic work environment, high staff turnover, and other challenges,” wrote Choudhury in the June 30 letter. “I must also say that while I acknowledge some missteps in proactively communicating changes as we work to transform the department, broad, blanket assertions about our work remain untrue….
“I appreciate the amplified scrutiny that comes with this role and embrace it as part of my commitment to driving change. If there has ever been a moment where my passion in any way offended, confused, frustrated, or caused you pause — I am sorry, that was not and is not my intent.” A few months later, Choudhury stepped down.
.
