This is a tale of two counties, Baltimore and Howard, and their respective school boards.

Here in Baltimore County, not a single school board member is elected. Each is appointed by the governor.

It's the opposite over in adjacent Howard County. Each member is elected.

Earlier this year, officials in each county appointed a task force. The mission of each was to make a recommendation to the state legislature, which has authority over these issues, on whether the selection process should be altered.

Both counties were considering a move to a hybrid board — a mix of appointed and elected board members.

Recent actions by both task forces raised the possibility that nothing substantive will change.

This provoked frustration among some in both counties. In Howard, the issue is diversity. It is argued that some appointed seats could assure minority representation on the board.

But in Baltimore County, the issue is accountability. True, the all-appointed board enjoys the security of being above the political fray. However, it is regarded by many as inattentive to constituent concerns and reluctant to challenge Superintendent Joe Hairston, whose policies on issues such as teacher testing and facilities use by non-school parties have provoked dismay among teachers and parents.

The local task force voted to eliminate options for an elected or hybrid board, although it left open options for methods of appointment other than by the governor.

Many see the fingerprints of former County Executive Jim Smith, a member of the task force, all over this, and they are crying foul.

Smith made the motion to rule out an elected or hybrid board and the vote on that motion Sept. 9 passed, but without three task force members present — two Republicans and County Council Chairman John Olsewzki.

"I think it was a shameless power play by Jim Smith," said Julie Sugar, president of the Loch Raven High School PTA.

Proponents of an elected or hybrid school board here are not giving up.

In a press release, State Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a hybrid supporter, accused some task force members of "parliamentary maneuvers and tricks" to thwart what appears to be a consensus behind some voter choice.

Zirkin said on his website he would introduce a hybrid bill in Annapolis, regardless of what the task force recommends.

Meanwhile, four members of County Council have sent a letter to Del. Steve Laffery and state Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, co-chairs of the task force, calling for a re-vote when all members are present. Stay tuned.

All-elected school boards may have their detractors, as we see in Howard County, but all-appointed ones seem to be even more problematic.

Task force co-chairman Lafferty said this week that the task force may reconsider the hybrid and elected board options at its October meeting. We hope that's the case.

It is to be hoped that members of the task force and the legislators themselves will remember where the initial clamor for an elected board first came — citizens, such as those who testified loud and clear at the task force hearings that some form of elected board is the only way to ensure accountability.