School board changes advance
After weeks of discussion, Howard County’s state delegation to Annapolis has reached an agreement on a plan to change the way the county school board is elected.
Under the proposal, voters countywide would still elect all seven members to the Board of Education. But five of those seats would be tied to one of the county’s councilmanic districts, while the two remaining at-large seats could be filled by residents regardless of where they live.
Currently, all seven seats are at-large.
District-specific school board members would be elected beginning in 2020.
The transition to a new board will begin in the 2018 general election, with the top two vote-getters designated as the board’s at-large members and serving for aterm of four years. The bottom two vote-getters would serve just two years to make room for district-specific members in 2020.
The measure heads next to committees in the House and Senate, which will hold hearings on the proposal. Under the tradition of local courtesy, most countyspecific legislation is approved without debate.
Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, a Maple Lawn Democrat who sponsored the measure, called it “a huge step for our county moving forward.”
Del. Warren Miller, a west county Republican who has sponsored several school board reform bills, said the measure is a “needed change.”
“In the current board, something’s not right,” he said. “We have failing schools, leaking roofs, audits. … If someone can be held accountable versus everyone pointing fingers at each other, it’s a needed change.”
The bill has undergone multiple tweaks since the start of the General Assembly session. Atterbeary’s initial proposal had each district-specific school board member elected solely by voters in their district. But that idea could not garner enough support to earn the delegation’s endorsement.
Under the proposal, voters countywide would still elect all seven members to the Board of Education. But five of those seats would be tied to one of the county’s councilmanic districts, while the two remaining at-large seats could be filled by residents regardless of where they live.
Currently, all seven seats are at-large.
District-specific school board members would be elected beginning in 2020.
The transition to a new board will begin in the 2018 general election, with the top two vote-getters designated as the board’s at-large members and serving for aterm of four years. The bottom two vote-getters would serve just two years to make room for district-specific members in 2020.
The measure heads next to committees in the House and Senate, which will hold hearings on the proposal. Under the tradition of local courtesy, most countyspecific legislation is approved without debate.
Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, a Maple Lawn Democrat who sponsored the measure, called it “a huge step for our county moving forward.”
Del. Warren Miller, a west county Republican who has sponsored several school board reform bills, said the measure is a “needed change.”
“In the current board, something’s not right,” he said. “We have failing schools, leaking roofs, audits. … If someone can be held accountable versus everyone pointing fingers at each other, it’s a needed change.”
The bill has undergone multiple tweaks since the start of the General Assembly session. Atterbeary’s initial proposal had each district-specific school board member elected solely by voters in their district. But that idea could not garner enough support to earn the delegation’s endorsement.
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