School Board Task Force Deja Vu

A five-page draft of the final report of the Baltimore County's school board task force doesn't offer much in the way of new insights into the study that took place in July and August.

The obtained by Patch outlines the process and makes some recommendations on improving the operations of the current school board. Some of the 12-member commission had contributed statements regarding plans or options they supported. (The draft of the final report and the available statements are attached to this post.)

All of the commission members were invited to submit similar statements and are expected to do so.

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The draft report included five recommendations to improve the transparency and professionalism of the board including:

• Establish a protocol for board members to make visits to various schools.
• Provide public information regarding responsibilities and regulations governing the Board of Education on the Baltimore County Public Schools website.
• Creation of a Board Handbook for Board members.
• Establish methods to keep lines of communication between the Board of Education and members of the general public open and accessible.
• The administrative assistant/board secretary should be dedicated solely to the Board of Education and paid from board funds, with no obligations to or salary paid by the administrative offices of Baltimore County Public Schools.

But, as expected, the report states that ultimately the 12-member commission on a plan to overhaul the county's appointed school board.

Members of the task force were invited to contribute their own written statements.

And, as expected, each member submits a statement that reflects their previously stated position on the issue.

Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a staunch supporter of adding elected members to the appointed school board, provided copies of news articles from Patch and the Baltimore Sun as well as a number of emails from concerned county residents.

Del. Dana Stein's one-page statement also called for a hybrid school board, calling it "a Democratic link between the public and the school board."

Sen. Delores Kelley's statement focuses on the legal changes she believes need to occur if legislators pursue a partially or fully elected school board.

Del. Wade Kach, a former teacher, proposed reducing the board from 11 to nine and instituting a school board nominating commission process for naming candidates for appointment. His plan would also provide $500 annually to each member to cover board-related expenses.

Former County Executive Jim Smith's statement essentially incorporates a plan for a school board nominating commission. That commission would select a list of candidates from which the county executive would make recommendations for appointment to the governor.

Smith drafted the plan before the final meeting of the task force but didn't get a chance to introduce it.

Dunbar Brooks, a former school board member and president, gave his opinions on the various options the board considered. He also said he believes that "the elected school board option has already left the station before all of the task force members have had an opportunity to weigh in."

"As we say in our community, it appears as if we are being 'bum-rushed' into an elected board and no one even asked us," Brooks writes in the draft.

Former Del. Jim Campbell writes in a one-page statement that most who testified before the commission believed that the school board works well but "some fine tuning might be helpful."