Klausmeier: School Board Task Force Outcome Uncertain

The task force charged with looking at possible changes to how Baltimore County school board members are selected finishes up its work tonight.

But then what?

Sen. Kathy Klausmeier said she's not certain what will come out of the group which has already met twice this month.

The meets for the final time tonight at 6:30 at the of the Baltimore County Public Library.

After tonight's meeting the group will have to decide what to do with what they've heard over the last month.

Will they issue recommendations for a new law that could lead to a hybrid or fully elected school board? Will it just be a report reciting the testimony taken?

Klausmeier said she's not certain.

"That's part of the problem here," Klausmeier said. "I'm not sure how it's all going to pan out. It's very difficult."

She said it might be "like herding cats to get everyone to agree on one thing."

A slim majority of the panel does not appear predisposed to supporting any form of elected school board based on a look at .

Klausmeier said that while there are no formal rules (yet), it is likely that only a simple majority vote of seven members will be needed for the commission to pass something.

Klausmeier said the panel has "

"Part of the problem," she said, "is the lack of communication and inability to contact (school) board members."

But a majority of those who testified also said they wanted a partially or fully elected school board.

Klausmeier said attendance was too low to read any sort of public demand for an elected school board.

"We have to weigh how many people were there and how everyone feels about it," said Klausmeier, who has supported a return to a school board nominating convention process.

Part of the problem, aside from low attendance, is that the union that represents county teachers and the county PTA have not taken stands on the issue of an elected school board. Representatives of both testified three weeks ago that the schedule for the hearings came after both groups had gone on summer hiatus.

Klausmeier said she's personally optimistic that a bill will come of the group's work. She acknowledges such a bill, which would likely be introduced next year, would not be binding on the rest of the county's House and Senate delegations.

"If someone says, 'I don't like that. I'm putting in a bill" — we can't stop that," Klausmeier said, adding the final result "might be a report that we heard, we listened and here we go."

Keep up with what's happening in Baltimore County politics by following Bryan P. Sears on Twitter and Facebook.