Kamenetz Works To Jam Up School Board Bill

A bill creating a partially-elected Baltimore County Board of Education is no closer to passage Saturday after County Executive Kevin Kamenetz lobbied the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

The bill, which creates a board with six-elected and five-appointed members, was and sent back to the House for a concurrence vote.

Del. Joseph Boteler, a Parkville Republican and member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he spoke to Del. Sheila Hixson, a Montgomery County Democrat and chair of the committee, about the bill.

"She told me the committee has a standing policy of holding bills when county executive opposes them," said Boteler.

Boteler and others have argued that the bill is local and since the delegation has already approved it, the committee and the legislature should defer under a practice known as local courtesy.

I reached out to the county executive's office for comment on Friday but have not heard from them. I'll update when I do.

Kamenetz has been clear about his opposition to any form of elected school board.

It should be noted that Hixson's committee did pass out the original bill which created a fully-elected county school board—equally objectionable to Kamenetz.

Not all elected officials at the county level are opposing an elected school board.

Councilman David Marks wrote on my Facebook page that both he and Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond contacted Hixson expressing the support of the majority of the council.

Supporters of an elected school board in the county are also getting support from the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD. The group posted a note of support on its blog today and asked its members to contact Hixson and encourage her to let the bill out of her committee.