Senator Clarence Lam (D-12) and Delegate Courtney Watson (D-9B) recently filed a bill that would change how Howard County Board of Education members are selected. In short, we would move from:
Five members of the BoE elected by the voters based on county-council district, two members elected by Howard County voters county-wide (the at-large seats), and the student member to:
The County Executive, from a list provided by the Howard County state legislative delegation, appointing two members of the BoE, two members elected from the state senate districts that are at least "partially contained within Howard County," (at present, Districts 9 and 12), one member elected from the state senate district that is "wholly contained within Howard County" (at present, District 13), two members elected on an at-large basis, and the student member. This, according to the proposed legislation, would take effect beginning in 2024.
Here are some reasons why this bill is a bad idea and is a "solution" that will only create more problems.
1. Democrats are supposed to favor expanding the franchise, not contracting it. This proposal removes the direct electoral connection between two BoE members and the voting public. It puts decisions in the hands of the few, not the many.
2. It deepens partisan entanglements. For those who despair over political party engagements in Board of Education affairs, this makes matters considerably worse. Whose names do you think will appear on such lists? And, once appointed to the office, will they serve the greater public interest or the narrower agendas of those who put them on said lists/appointed them? Will they be partners of, or servants to, other officials?
3. It doesn't resolve the issue of parochialism, which is a concern that some have expressed based on the move to county-council based districts. It just adds a twist on top of it. At least the county council districts are, at the present time, roughly equal in population. The same is not true with the state senate districts. What happens if, following the 2030 Census and reapportionment/redistricting process, Howard County has a sliver of one senatorial district consisting of only a few hundred voters? Well, congratulations because they would have their very own Board of Education member. This could lead to some wild disparities in the number of votes received by Board of Education candidates (among those actually appearing on ballots), not to mention unequal representation.
4. Improved collaboration, which this bill purports to accomplish, is a very questionable rationale. Does the manner of election need to be changed to improve collaboration or is a really of question of, I don't know, people doing the jobs they were elected to perform? And in terms of "maintaining the independence of the Board," this measure would make the BoE - at least a couple members - less independent than they are now.
5. Side note: if this was such a great idea, why was it not rolled out to the public prior to Election Day?
While the current method of electing the Board of Education members is not perfect, I believe it is a significant improvement over the previous system...and it hasn't been in effect for that long. Why the rush to change it, yet again, so quickly?
Even though it tries not to talk like a power grab, it sure as heck walks like one.
Please contact your state legislative delegation and let them know that Howard County Bill 10-23 is a bad idea.
In solidarity.
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