Kamenetz Names Appointments to School Board Task Force

A former Baltimore County executive and former state delegate are among a trio of appointments made to a charged with reviewing how members of the county school board are selected.

County Executive Kevin Kamenetz Wednesday morning named his predecessor Jim Smith to the 12-member Task Force on the Selection Process, Accountability, and Professionalism of the Baltimore County Board of Education.

Kamenetz is responsible for naming three members of the commission.

Also named to the commission by the Democratic county executive are James Campbell, a Democrat who served in the House of Delegates for six terms between 1979 and 2003, and Dunbar Brooks, a Dundalk resident and activist and manager of data development for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council.

The appointment of Smith, a two-term county executive, would add some educational involvement to his resume at a time when he has expressed interest in becoming the .

The task force is made up of members of the state legislature as well as appointments by the County Council.

Sen. Kathy Klausmeier and Del. Steve Lafferty, Democrats from Perry Hall and Towson, respectively, will lead the group.

Also named to the commission are Republican Sen. J.B. Jennings, Democratic Sens. Delores Kelley and Bobby Zirkin, Democratic Dels. Dana Stein and Emmett Burns and Republican Del. Wade Kach.

Council Chairman John A. Olszewski Sr., a Dundalk Democrat and father to Del. John A. Olszewski Jr., will represent the council. The younger Olszewski recused himself from the commission because he works for the Baltimore County Public Schools system.

The commission will meet three times in July, including:

• July 6 at the Reisterstown Library at 6:30 p.m.
• July 7 at the Essex Library at 6:30 p.m.
• July 25 at the Towson Library at 6:30 p.m. 

From these meetings, the task force is expected to deliver recommendations that could possibly include changes to how members of the county school board are selected.

In addition to taking testimony from the public at the three meetings, the task force will also take written comments.

Those comments can be mailed to:

Sen. Kathy Klausmier

Attention: Baltimore County School Board Task Force

4100 Walter Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21236

Testimony can also be e-mailed to katherine.klausmeier@senate.state.md.us.

All testimony should be submitted no later than July 25.