Harford County school officials showed up in Annapolis on Tuesday to oppose a bill that would allow someone dissatisfied with a school board decision to appeal to the County Council.
An appeal goes directly to the State Board of Education.
Introduced by state Sen. Robert Hooper, the bill would apply only to Harford and is the first of its kind in the state. Hooper said he introduced the bill in part because other efforts to make the board more accountable to the voters are languishing in Annapolis.
“This represents an unprecedented intrusion on the local board?s ability to exercise its authority,” Board of Education attorney Patrick Spicer said.
Creating such an appeal process would turn some educational decisions over to the County Council, which is not elected solely on knowledge of educational issues, Spicer testified, with Superintendent Jacqueline Haas present to show her agreement.
Steve Wright, an aide to Hooper and father of two students in Harford schools, cited e-mails his office received expressing dissatisfaction with the current setup of the board, which is appointed by the governor. Many felt the board did not heed citizen input and had no means of being held accountable, he said. While the County Council has yet to officially weigh in on the bill that would put more cases before them, Wright said at least one councilman was opposed and another was uncertain.
Though a bill to switch the county to a mix of elected and appointed board members has been introduced in the House of Delegates, it is unlikely to be passed because not all the stakeholders are in agreement, Hooper said. His bill would serve as an alternative means of pressuring the board to listen more to parents and citizens, he said.
Spicer said the rarity of appeals before the board undermined the claims of widespread discontent and the need for change.
