The task force charged with exploring an overhaul of Baltimore County's school board selection process voted Sept. 9 to eliminate the possibility of an elected or hybrid school board from among the options it'll recommend to legislators.
But the 6-3 vote, and the fact that it was taken while three members of the group were absent, has some parents and at least one local official crying foul.
Currently, Board of Education members are appointed by the governor. The task force was formed by the county's delegation in Annapolis to look at other options — among them an elected board or a hybrid, in which some members would be elected , others appointed.
While the task force hasn't made its official recommendation, last Friday's vote was a blow to those who have advocated for one of those two options. And some of those advocates pointed to former County Executive Jim Smith, a member of the task force, who made the motion to kill the electoral and hybrid options.
"I think it was a shameless power play by Jim Smith," Julie Sugar, president of the Loch Raven High School PTA, said. "We were shocked.
"I was at two of the three public hearings," she said, "and not once did I hear a parent say we like the nominating committee idea — never. The only thing I ever heard parents say ... is we like the elected or hybrid approach because we need accountability, transparency and responsiveness from the school board."
Fifth District County Councilman David Marks, a Republican who represents Towson, expressed his displeasure that the vote took place while two Republican members of the task force and the County Council's representative, Chairman John Olsewzki, were absent.
"I'm extremely disappointed," Marks said. "The issue of electing school board members is central to any discussions of reform. It deserved a vote that was publicized in advance and included all members of the task force. I just think the process really stunk, to be honest."
Smith said this week that the vote clears the way for a proposal he'll make at the panel's next meeting — likely in October — calling for school board members to be picked from candidates, "vetted by a group of people who are invested in Baltimore County."
District 42 Del. Stephen Lafferty, who co-chairs the committee and has been a proponent for school board reform, said that state Sen. Delores Kelley, seconded by Del. Emmett Burns, both of District 10 representing Woodlawn and Catonsville, introduced a motion to leave the selection process as is: fully appointed by the governor.
After that was defeated, Smith motioned to remove elected boards and hybrid option from consideration, said Lafferty, who said he voted against Smith's motion. It passed anyway.
"I think it's wrong to take anything off the table until the final decision," said Lafferty, who represents Towson. "To eliminate any options just doesn't make any sense to me at all."
Task force members are now left with four of the six options they began with — appointment of school board members by the county executive; election by a county nominating commission; appointment with additional approvals; and the current process, appointment by the governor.
According to Lafferty, there was "a lot of conversation" Friday about creating a commission to review applicants and adding public input to that process or having appointees stand for election, but he's unsure whether those ideas are viable.
Smith said that despite the removal of the elected and hybrid options, he thinks "there's a sentiment on the task force to look at a way to involve the public more in the process," and he thinks a review panel could do the job and then make recommendations of candidates to whoever has the final say, whether it's still the governor or someone else.
"The input that I'm looking for is informed input, from people who are engaged in the system," Smith said. "They would make recommendations to an appointing authority, at least two for every spot available, and they would have to select someone from that pool."
"It's going to be a collaborative effort to see if there's a way to introduce greater public opinion into the process," Smith said.
'School boards are state boards'
While Lafferty said he agrees that reform is needed, he called Marks' comments about the vote during members' absence "unfair," pointing out that none of the meetings have been attended by every task force member, and he wasn't there to see the dynamics of the task force.
"Just because the County Council has a proven alternative, we respect that, but the council doesn't make that decision," Lafferty said. "The state legislature does.
"School boards are state boards. We appreciate the council weighing in because they represent voters and have a point of view, but we take that the same as the other opinions," he said.
But Marks said he believes the County Council is "an important body who should have been able to participate in the vote."
Overall, while he said the process has been "amicable," Lafferty said some members are unwilling to compromise.
"County Executive (Kevin) Kamenetz appointed three people who clearly didn't want elected school boards," Lafferty said. "Burns and Kelley have expressed desire to keep the same system in place. The hope was that throughout the process, we could find some common ground and work out some agreements, but we get stymied when people aren't open to change."
First District County Councilman Tom Quirk, who represents Catonsville and Arbutus, said that while he believes it's important for the school board to be responsive to the community, this is an issue that is playing out at the state level.
"We should focus on local issues and not get into state issues, and this is clearly a state issue," Quirk said.
The next task force meeting has not yet been scheduled, but Lafferty believes it will be after Oct. 1.
Even if the task force's recommendation doesn't include elections, Marks believes the idea isn't dead yet, as the delegation to Annapolis will have the final say.
"There's still substantial support among Senate and House members on that issue," Marks said. "I think there's still hope for school board elections."