New Superintendent Familiar With Elected School Boards

The hiring of of the Baltimore County Public Schools system has removed the biggest obstacle to some form of elected school board, according to one state legislator.

"I think everyone knew it was a frivolous argument," said Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a Democrat who is sponsoring one bill that would create a partially elected school board. "The argument about the superintendent search was not a real one. It was just something opponents said to kill the bill."

The school system announced today that Dance is the board's selection to replace Joe Hairston, who after 12 years. Dance is chief of middle schools for the Houston Independent School District which educates 200,000 children.

The nine members of the school board (two smaller than Baltimore County) are elected to staggered terms by the voters of Houston.

"That sounds an awful lot like the version of the bill in the House," said Zirkin.

Earlier this year, Larry Schmidt, the school board president, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and others said a change to for the job.

"We do not view that as something that is favorable in recruiting a superintendent now," Schmidt told legislators in January.

Zirkin said today that the hire removes objections to recasting the board to include at least some elected members.

"We're looking forward to giving the new superintendent a brand new, responsive, partially-elected school board," said Zirkin, adding that the move "is the will of the people of Baltimore County."

And supporters of the change are closer than ever to getting what they want as emerge from committees in the House and Senate.

The House version of the bill, which includes a fully-elected board reduced from 11 to nine members passed the House of Delegates this week and heads to the Senate.

Zirkin's bill, which focuses on a partially-elected model some times called a hybrid, missed the Monday deadline to cross over to the House. Currently, it's languishing in the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Matters Committee.

That committee and the full Senate are not expected to support a fully elected board for Baltimore County.

Zirkin said he has received assurances from Sen. Joan Carter Conway, chairwoman of the committee, that the bill will be voted out. The missed deadline could complicate passage in the House.

The passage of both bills would require a conference committee to reconcile the two versions before the session ends at midnight on April 9.