Petition Circulating Urging Legislators To Support Hybrid School Board

A letter to state lawmakers from County Executive Kevin Kamenetz lobbying against an elected school board has made one Timonium parent "incensed."

Sue Battle-McDonald, who has three children in the Baltimore County Public Schools system, started an online petition on Oct. 16, which was later posted on the Advocates for Baltimore County Public Schools Facebook page, encouraging legislators to support a hybrid board, where at least half of the members are elected.

"The county executive has been a significant obstacle," Battle-McDonald said.

As of 7:22 a.m. Wednesday, the petition had garnered 31 supporters.

"The intent with the petition was to show that there are more than just a few parents that care about issue," she said.

Battle-McDonald's personal issue with the school board occurred about four years ago, when she was part of a group of parents advocating for air conditioning at Ridgely Middle School.

"We really struggled to get a fair hearing," she said. "I just felt the [school board was] not really willing to hear us."

Earlier in the year, Kamenetz worked to contain a hybrid school board bill in the House Ways and Means Committee when legislators came minutes away form passing it.

After the letter, dated Aug. 4, was posted on Patch, State Senator Bobby Zirkin noted that it would be "disregarded."