Report: Howard Co. Superintendent Renee Foose Resigning

BALTIMORE (WJZ) --  Howard County schools superintendent Dr. Renee Foose and the Board of Education jointly announced that Dr. Foose will be retiring from the school system, effective today.

The board also announced that Michael J. Martrano, Ed.D. has been named Acting Superintendent of Schools.

Dr. Foose and the Board of Education issued the following statement:

"I want to express my gratitude to the teachers, administrators and staff of the Howard County Public School System for their incredibly dedicated work during my five years as Superintendent," Dr. Foose said.

"Howard County is the #1 school system in the state of Maryland and one of the top school systems in the country, because of your leadership and commitment. I want to thank the students in the Howard County Public School System and their families for your strong support of our public schools. I also want to thank the public officials in Howard County who supported my tenure as superintendent and supported continued excellence in the Howard County Public School System."

"I am proud of my service to the Howard County Public School System and have every expectation that the commitment to excellence in our public schools will continue in the future."

There had been a closed school board meeting that was held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Howard County School Board Chairman Cynthia Vallaincourt also released a statement on Dr. Foose's exit from her position:

"The Board of Education of Howard County wishes to express its appreciation to Dr. Renee Foose for her commitment and service to the Howard County Public School System."

"During her tenure, Howard County was consistently ranked the top school system in the state and one of the top systems in the country. We are grateful for her leadership."

The Board has appointed Dr. Martirano as Acting Superintendent until the search is completed for a new Superintendent. The Board remains committed to maintaining the tradition of excellence in public education in Howard County."

This announcement comes following some tension between Foose and the Howard County school board.

In January, Dr. Foose filed a lawsuit against own school board, alleging board members have taken a series of illegal measures aimed at undermining her authority.

According to our media partner, The Baltimore Sun, Foose said the new board, which had been put in place in December, has engaged in conduct that is a "direct threat to the orderly administration of the school system," and created "chaos and uncertainty" in the system.

However, in February, an online petition supporting Foose be fired from her job collected several hundred signatures.

It was the second petition in two years that sought to remove Foose from her job.

Foose is the second superintendent in Maryland to announce her resignation this year.

Baltimore County Public schools' Superintendent Dallas Dance announced his resignation in April.

Both Dance and Foose were hired for their positions in 2012.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook