A Maryland lawmaker is reviving debate over how members of Baltimore County?s school board are selected, with a proposal to re-establish a nominating committee and reduce the panel?s size.
Baltimore County Del. Steve Lafferty has introduced a bill that would reduce the board from 12 members to 10 and establish a committee to recommend appointments to the governor. The Democrat said his legislation is unlike any proposal considered last year, including a call for a hybrid board of elected and appointed members that several key lawmakers said they favor.
“When the idea of a school board nominating convention went by the wayside, the idea of letting people know who is responsible for their children and their future sort of went away as well,” said Lafferty, D-District 42. “The community in general should have an idea of who is protecting their children?s welfare and education.”
Lawmakers last year could not come to a consensus among three proposals for the board of 12 governor-appointed members: the hybrid board, a requirement for Senate confirmation of the governor?s choices and a nomination committee. Lafferty?s proposal is being met with early opposition from county administration.
County Executive Jim Smith said Gov. Martin O?Malley is already committed to seeking community input before making political appointments and sees no need to alter the process, said Smith?s spokesman, Don Mohler.
“Having a governor who understands Baltimore County and understands the importance of the school board, he doesn?t see any reasons to change the system at the current time,” Mohler said.
Lafferty?s bill eliminates representatives from each of the county?s seven councilmanic districts and replaces them with one from each of the county?s five public school districts. The 13-member nominating committee would include representatives appointed from Smith?s office, the county Chamber of Commerce, the NAACP and the teacher?s union.
Meg O?Hare, a board member who said she favors elected boards, called the committee “pointless.”
“It?s an attempt to make something look legitimate that would, in fact, be very politically controlled,” she said.
The governor appoints boards in Anne Arundel, Caroline, Harford, Wicomico and Baltimore counties and Baltimore City. State Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a Democrat from Baltimore County, said he remains committed to a partially elected board and will introduce legislation next session that, if passed, would take effect in 2010.
