HOWARD COUNTY'S school system is not perfect, but relative to most other Maryland systems, it enjoys an embarrassment of riches -- in terms of wealth, student achievement and parent involvement.

So it's particularly galling that the Howard school board doesn't understand that it ought to be striving to meet the very highest standards when it comes to conducting business in public -- not seeking to defend or expand its right to hold private meetings.

Board members insist they're only trying to serve the public's best interests and to do that they must meet privately as a group with schools Superintendent John R. O'Rourke. But the board's record on this issue suggests a troubling arrogance -- and not much cause for trust.

Going back more than two years, the Howard board was found to have been regularly holding private meetings before its public meetings without public notice and at times for improper reasons. It also was improperly waiting an average of more than five months to make available minutes of its public meetings.

Then it was found that the board had approved -- in private -- big pay raises for the system's associate superintendents, plus stipends for leased cars -- actions not publicly announced for months.

Earlier this month, the board also met privately on extending Mr. O'Rourke's contract. Though that amendment was later ratified in public, board member Virginia W. Charles accused the board majority before the public vote of having illegally approved it in an earlier private meeting.

And Wednesday night, the board suddenly announced it was dropping its legislative bid to get out from under several state laws -- in order to more clearly put itself only under the state open meetings law, which offers a wider, "executive function" loophole to legally hold private meetings.

The board claimed it opted not to pursue its bid for these legislative changes because a more-than-2-year-old lawsuit -- over its alleged open meeting abuses -- may clarify when it can meet in secret. Not coincidentally, this move followed state Del. Elizabeth Bobo's firm rejection of the board's request for help with these changes in Annapolis.

To her credit, Ms. Bobo was so offended she threatened the board with another bill specifically barring it from using the open meetings act's "executive function" clause.

A lot of this involves a legal thicket, but there's no question it has been a huge and unnecessary distraction from the paramount interest of students, teachers and parents: achievement.

State education law says the board can meet privately only to discuss land or labor issues. Claiming a broader right to do that conveys disdain for Howard residents: Does the Howard school board really think that the county's highly affluent and educated parents can't possibly grasp or cope with the nuances of its discussions with Mr. O'Rourke?