Capital Article
Yeager, Amanda, Hogan signs bill creating Anne Arundel elected school board, May 4, 2017.
Snider Comment
“The change follows decades of debate over the process used to select Board of Education members, who have for years been appointed by the governor based on recommendations from a nominating commission.”
The same claim was made when the General Assembly in 2007 passed the now much disparaged legislation creating the Anne Arundel School Board Nominating Commission. Despite all that claimed debate, the General Assembly conducted an infantile debate then, and it repeated that process in 2017.
“In the meantime, the county will form a School Board Appointment Commission….”
I doubt even 1% of the public knows who is really on that Commission and how they will be appointed. I further suspect that if they knew, the approval rate would be well under 50%. But hey, this issue was publicly debated for decades….
Legislation Creating the School Board Appointment Commission in 2016
(it was renamed from the School Board Nominating Commission in 2017)
The Commission consists of 13 members:
(I) THREE MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OF ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY FROM THE COUNTY AT LARGE:
1. ONE OF WHOM SHALL BE A PARENT OF A CHILD ENROLLED IN THE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM; AND
2. NO MORE THAN ONE OF WHOM MAY BE A CURRENT EMPLOYEE OF ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY;
(II) ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY;
(III) ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE ANNAPOLIS AND ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE;
(IV) ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES;
(V) ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERS (AEL);
(VI) TWO MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COUNCIL OF PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS WHO MAY NOT:
1. BE AFFILIATED WITH A TEACHERS’ UNION OR ASSOCIATION; OR
2. BE A CURRENT EMPLOYEE OF ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY;
(VII) ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE (NAACP);
(VIII) ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY CASA DE MARYLAND;
(IX) ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE ANNE ARUNDEL SPECIAL EDUCATION CITIZENS’ ADVISORY COMMITTEE WHO IS A PARENT OF A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN THE ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM; AND
(X) BEGINNING JUNE 1, 2016, AND EVERY 2 YEARS THEREAFTER, ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BASED IN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY ON A ROTATING BASIS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:
1. THE WEST ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE;
2. THE NORTHERN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE;
3. THE SOUTHERN ANNE ARUNDEL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE;
4. THE GREATER CROFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; AND
5. THE GREATER SEVERNA PARK AND ARNOLD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE;
