School Board Nominating

Feeling ignored by the political process, Baltimore County's school board nominating convention is disbanding, in a year when a third of the board's positions are up for grabs.The move at least temporarily suspends operations of the only mechanism for community groups and PTAs to question potential school board members publicly and make recommendations to the governor."We should have public input in these appointments because board members should be advocates for the children," said John Ryan, the convention's treasurer.

JUST AS EDUCATION is rising to the top of local, state and federal political agendas, some of Maryland's school board nominating conventions are finding themselves marginalized. One of the most notable is in Baltimore County. Last week, the county convention announced it is suspending operations this year, though one-third of the seats on the school board are up for appointment.Half of Maryland's counties have voter-elected school boards. In other jurisdictions, the governor appoints the members after receiving a recommendation from civic and religious organizations who interview candidates.

Residents should directly elect school boardThe school board wields a significant amount of power (without taxing authority). It should be accountable to the citizens through elections. More than 90 percent of the school boards in the country are elected.Few issues create as much controversy as redrawing school boundaries, merging schools and changing school policy. Certainly school board members have more effect on the lives of county citizens than some other elected posts such as the Register of Wills.

The Anne Arundel County school board selection process has begun, once again under the threat that the county's delegation to the General Assembly will try to dismantle it.While School Board Nominating Convention leaders say interest in the convention is increasing, the county's House delegation is set to vote today on a bill that would let voters in the 1998 general election decide whether to keep the existing system or choose a new one.Now, the convention makes...

Gov. Parris N. Glendening yesterday named an Essex sporting goods merchant and county Planning Board member to a five-year term on the Baltimore County School Board.H. John Barnhart, the Outdoor Sportsman Inc. owner who recently headed the Planning Board's comprehensive zoning efforts, will replace 10-year member Ronald L. Jacoby, who is not eligible for reappointment.Glendening also reappointed Stephen A. Burch, 44, senior vice president of Comcast Cablevision's mid-Atlantic region, to a new five-year term.

Appointment shows value of conventionGov. Parris N. Glendening's recent appointment of Paul Rudolph of Severna Park to fill the District 33 seat on the Anne Arundel County school board is most welcome in these challenging times when county officials are searching for the proper balance between meeting school needs and facing budget realities.More than ever, Anne Arundel County needs a unified school board that can establish, articulate and execute public education policy in this difficult environment.

Edgewater lawyer Michael A. Pace will not seek a second five-year term on the Anne Arundel County school board, creating a wide-open race for the at-large board seat next year.Pace, 50, said yesterday that he did not have the time for the volunteer position. His work demands have increased at the same time that more is being asked of board members, he said.His decision to step down when his term ends in July was not surprising. Pace's absences from twice-monthly meetings have increased over the past year.

The controversy over the selection process used for Anne Arundel school board members will be debated again this fall when state lawmakers hold public hearings to determine what, if any, legislation they should introduce in the next General Assembly session."

Government's Gone Too Far in Banning SmokingI think the ban against smoking in public places should not be passed. I am not a smoker but I do think that smokers have rights. Most restaurants have non-smoking areas. If non-smokers not like second-hand smoke, they can sit in that area. The state of Maryland would lose money to other businesses out-of-state because people would go out of state to work or have dinner without worrying about the law.Second-hand smoke is deadly, but there has to come a point where it is not the government's decision on our actions.

Double Standard in Ward OneWhy is it that the Ward One commissars, who claim sidewalk cafes are an inappropriate use of city property, are silent about the hucksters who operate with a card table on the pavement between two businesses on Dock Street? Nor are they (or their Historic District Commission comrades) worried about the nearby soda-vending machine which is also a zoning violation.Could this entrepreneur be another friend of the alder-family?Sidewalk space is available at no cost with no restrictions for certain people, but not for tax-paying, licensed, regulated businesses.

Four candidates have applied for the seat on the Anne Arundel County School Board vacated two weeks ago by Tricia Johnson, who was appointed to the County Council, according to the county's School Board Nominating Commission. The candidates are: Michael Leahy of Severna Park, whose term on the board recently expired; Andrew Pruski of Gambrills; Janet R. Pogar of Glen Burnie; and Paul Rudolph of Severna Park. The School Board Nominating Commission is scheduled to hold two public hearings next week, before forwarding nominees to Gov. Martin O'Malley, who will appoint a new board member to the at-large seat.

Schools close early for semester exams Anne Arundel County public schools will give high school semester exams tomorrow. Schools will close two hours early for all students for teacher workdays. There will be no afternoon kindergarten or ECI. Schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday for students but open for in-service/workday for elementary and middle school teachers and workday for high school teachers. Information: 410-222-5000. Public budget workshop The Anne Arundel County Board of Education will hold a public workshop on fiscal 2010 operating and capital budgets.

School board candidates advance The School Board Nominating Commission this week is forwarding the names of six possible candidates for two open seats on the Anne Arundel County school board to Gov. Martin O'Malley. The candidates include a Severn resident active on the countywide Citizens Advisory Committee, a key administrator under former County Executive Janet S. Owens, and an incumbent who is a longtime Davidsonville-area schools volunteer. The names, applications and letters of support for the following candidates are expected to be sent to the governor's office by tomorrow, said commission Chairman Joshua C. Greene.

After fearing no one would apply for the two seats up for grabs on the Anne Arundel County School Board, the new School Board Nominating Commission has been flooded with candidates. A dozen people, including incumbent Tricia L. Johnson, former two-term member Paul Rudolph and retired teachers, are vying for the at-large seat. Six others, including a former head of the community panel that advises the school board and the president of a limousine company, hope to fill the newly created ninth seat representing state legislative District 32. The late surge in applicants came as a relief to the fledgling commission, which launched a last-minute e-mail campaign through local organizations to appeal for more candidates.

The School Board Nominating Commission of Anne Arundel County is accepting applications for board candidates for two open seats through Tuesday. Board President Tricia Johnson is finishing a five-year term. The new commission recently added a ninth seat to the board. The new member will represent residents of legislative Districts 21 and 32. The commission will host hearings, at which the public can meet the candidates, at 7 p.m. April 14 and 28 at the Arundel Center in Annapolis. The commission will forward its nominees to the governor in early May, and he must choose from that list.

Nearly all of Anne Arundel County's 108 public schools will host Tobacco-Free Kids Week activities this year, bringing anticipated participation to its highest level in the program's 13-year history. Seventy-five of 77 elementary schools have signed up to hold anti-smoking events during Tobacco-Free Kids Week, starting today. All of the county's 19 middle schools and 11 of its 12 high schools are on board. Additionally, eight private schools and 53 nonschool groups have registered, bringing the total to 165 groups and an estimated 73,505 youths.

Five people are vying for one vacancy on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education -- the most candidates for a single seat in seven years. "Usually we have one or two, sometimes three," said Mark Fontaine, chairman of the school board nominating convention. "This is a lot, which surprised me, but it's pleasant." Fontaine said he had been concerned that, with legislation pending in the General Assembly to change the way school board members are selected, no one would apply. He also said he doesn't yet know whether there is a particular issue that drove so many people to apply for the seat being vacated by Paul G. Rudolph of Severna Park, who is nearing the end of his second five-year term.

Already facing calls for his resignation, the newest member of the Anne Arundel County school board said yesterday that he will ask the county ethics commission to review his construction and landscaping companies' dealings with the school system. Konrad M. Wayson was appointed to the county school board Tuesday instead of the candidate recommended by a citizens' committee. Wayson is president of Childs Landscaping of Arnold, which has been paid nearly $700,000 by the school system in the past few years for work at county schools, records show.

Steven H. Johnson, one of three contenders for the Board of Education seat from South County, has suspended his candidacy because of health problems. Johnson, of Annapolis, said yesterday that he is awaiting test results to explain his continued weight loss before deciding whether to reenter the school board contest. "I've been suffering [from] a weight loss problem for a time, and it seems to be accelerating," he said. "I decided it wasn't a good thing to be in the middle of a campaign."

Attendance at the first of three school board candidate hearings has generated criticism about the effectiveness of the county's school board selection process. The hearing, sponsored by the School Board Nominating Convention Committee, drew about 50 people to Annapolis Senior High School on Thursday. "It's no surprise to me that by the time the evening was over there were less than 40 people in attendance from the entire county," said Thomas H. Frank, a delegate from Arundel High School to the School Board Nominating Convention.