Schools

Reaction Mostly Positive to Withdrawal of Howard County School Board Voting Plan

Many expressed satisfaction at Del. Frank Turner's decision to withdraw his bill and were pleased with the high level of resident engagement.

Less than 24 hours after a hearing in which residents criticized a bill to restructure the way Howard County Board of Education members are selected, Del. Frank Turner, ostensibly taking the testimony to heart, announced he was withdrawing the legislation.

“I’m fine with that,” said Nancy Grasmick, former state superintendent of schools and the head of the board of education study commission that recommended changing the way board members are selected. 

“We always said our recommendations were for the delegate and for the county executive," she said. "We thought they would pursue it … It’s obvious that some groups were not in favor of a lot of the recommendations or the timing.”

Find out what's happening in Laurelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Turner could not be reached for comment.

The commission was charged by County Executive Ken Ulman with studying diversity on the Board of Education and suggesting ways to more accurately reflect the ethnic, racial and geographic make up of the county’s.

Find out what's happening in Laurelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The commission, staffed by the executive’s office, released a report (attached) recommending that board members no longer be elected at large; instead it recommended five members be elected by county council district and two members be appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county council.

After Turner announced he was withdrawing the legislation, residents and lawmakers took to the Internet to support his decision, keying in on the public participation that included more than 50 people  in front of the local representatives of the state delegation.

Sen. Allen Kittleman (R-Howard/Carroll), posted on Twitter “It was a community effort that defeated this bill!”

Many citizens appeared to be just as happy about the outcome.

“Now THIS is a sign of how democracy and the power of the people truly work. The overwhelming majority was heard at the public hearing and Del. Turner realized what they were saying,” user Brook posted on Patch.

Councilwoman Courtney Watson (D-Elkridge/Ellicott City) said in an e-mail she was proud of the community interest in the issue.

“I was glad to see that people in the community care enough about education in Howard County to speak up in the great numbers that they did at the hearing,” she wrote.

Ulman said in an interview with Patch that he understands the concerns people had about the bill, though he stood behind it.

“I still believe strongly that what was proposed would improve representation on the Board of Education, which is important,” he said. “I’m glad that we had a discussion … I really appreciate people coming out and having their voices heard.” 

He said that the office did not have plans for another formal discussion of the issue of school board diversity, but, “I hope [residents] will stay involved, particularly as the Board of Education continues its search for a new superintendent and during the next election."

“The filing deadline [to run for Board of Education] is in January,” Watson posted on her Facebook page. “If you are thinking of running, I would be happy to talk with you about what to expect, how much time it takes and why it’s a great experience.”

Watson served on the Howard County Board of Education from 2002 to 2006, including two years as chair during a time when the school system was transitioning between superintendents.

At the Oct. 11 public hearing about the proposed bill to change the make up of the school board, Board of Education Chair Janet Siddiqui testified that if enacted, Turner’s legislation could hamper the process of finding a new superintendent.

“We ask you to consider what message you are sending to potential candidates,” she said. This was also a concern voiced in the dissenting opinion of the study commission (attached). 

Hanover resident Leslie Korneich, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Board of Education in 2010, said at the hearing that residents still ask whether she won that race. She told the Baltimore Sun that she supported the concept of electing board members by district but having two appointed members was a mistake.

"It was a real political miscalculation on the part of Frank Turner, who I believe tried to do a good thing,” Kornreich told the Sun, “but the two appointed seats should never have been in there and they brought the whole house down with them." 

Ulman defended his effort to make board appointments.

“There were a lot of questions about why a county executive would get any appointments,” Ulman said Wednesday.  “Sixty-two percent of my budget goes to the board of education …. I think it’s completely acceptable, legitimate and important, frankly, for a county executive and the [county] council to have a direct voice in the process.”

Grasmick said that whether the two members that were not tied to council districts were appointed or elected at-large was not her main concern.

“The important piece was that people would know the people they’re electing to be on the board,” she said, “and that there was better representation.”

To that end, concerned residents are still looking for a solution.

"I appreciate that Del. Turner pulled this, as it was clearly 'not ready for prime time,'" user John Hannay said in a comment on Patch.

"That being said, his stated concerns behind the bill (underperforming schools feeling like they're being left out, disparities in student achievement, etc.) clearly need some constructive action by the community. I'm not sure that legislation around methods of selecting the school board is the answer to that. Let's all turn our attention to that now, as that is clearly one of the challenges our local public schools face."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here