A recent letter issued by five of the eight MEMBERS OF THE Baltimore County Council requested that the Baltimore County School Board begin a search for a new Superintendent. The Republican Women of Baltimore County thoroughly supports the reasons for this request, which was based on low teacher and student morale, disciplinary problems, high employee turnover rates and over all declining student achievement. A press release was issued September 6, 2022 by RWBC reflecting this statement.
A report commissioned by the County Council through Public Works, LLC found that BCPS had a top-heavy bureaucracy with “low morale, poor communications and a dysfunctional school board.” In addition, the report said the structure of the school system’s central office is ineffective and inefficient and described a school board that fosters an atmosphere of discord and unprofessionalism. The board concluded that poor leadership at the top was to blame.
Republican Women of Baltimore County (RWBC) support the County Council MEMBERS’s decision to URGE a search for a new superintendent. In addition, RWBC supports a transparent and dynamic school board willing to meet with parents, teachers, students and stakeholders to solve our community’s issues and concerns.
According to the Baltimore County Public Schools Policy 1200 states, “Community involvement will be encouraged and supported to ensure the interests and values from across the county are heard and considered by the Board, Superintendent, school administrators and other educational leaders, thereby enhancing the decision-making process.”
For years school board meetings have been held in a limited capacity space, with the claim that interested parties can watch via TV feed in outer rooms. Every BCPS School Board meeting has very few concerned citizens that are allowed to speak and as such are only granted a few minutes. This violates the Board’s tenant to offer “community input”.
RWBC recommends moving the BCPS School Board meetings back to Loch Raven High School and begin conducting open, transparent meetings with community stakeholders.
The 2022 mid-term elections will offer an opportunity for Baltimore County residents to consider a new slate of school board members. RWBC has vetted these school board candidates from each district and endorses the following candidates.
District 1 – Cory Koons
District 2 – Rebecca Chesner
District 3 – Maggie Litz Domanowski
District 5 – Julie Henn
Comments