A Howard County Board of Education member accused fellow board members yesterday of "deliberately and willfully" violating state law by extending the school superintendent's contract at a closed board meeting.

Virginia W. Charles accused board members James P. O'Donnell, Patricia S. Gordon, Sandra H. French and Chairwoman Jane B. Schuchardt of trying to sneak an amendment into Superintendent John R. O'Rourke's contract that would extend his tenure, essentially renewing his contract.

She also claimed the board took a final vote to pass the amendment during a previous closed meeting Nov. 7.

Charles says both actions violate a state law requiring that final reappointment action be taken in public and that superintendents not be reappointed before Feb. 1 in the year their term expires. In O'Rourke's case, that is not until 2004, according to a school system spokeswoman.

Charles stood to make her charges after the board's vice chairwoman, French, made a motion to exclude the public from yesterday's board meeting to discuss personnel issues and consult with the board's attorney.

The other board members and the board's general counsel suggested the action had been misunderstood.

French and Schuchardt said no formal decision was made final during the meeting Nov. 7.

The board voted to move into closed session over Charles' objections. It held a two-hour private session with two attorneys present.

After the meeting, members said they were not able to comment.

"The board has not been and is not in violation of the open-meetings law or any law," said board general counsel Mark Blom.

"The board was not acting on a renewal. It may be a subtle distinction of different interpretations, but legally it's a very important difference," Blom said.