In recent weeks, the Baltimore County school board has fought with its auditor in court, appeared on the verge of ousting its superintendent, and had its ugly internal interactions aired in a courtroom. Board members have a history of infighting, among themselves and with the system’s superintendents. Here’s a look at some of the recent acrimony.
Superintendent squabbles
Is Darryl Williams in or out of a job? That was the question raised last month when the school board met in a special closed-door session in mid-June. And it remains unanswered.
The school board gathered days after a majority on the County Council wrote the board on June 7 to express frustration with Williams’ job performance and urge a search for a replacement. Board members only said publicly that they were discussing a personnel matter.
Before the meeting, two board members, Moalie Jose and Makeda Scott, said they did not know what would be discussed, but that they supported Williams. Julie Henn, the board chair, said nothing at the time.
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The County Council’s letter criticized Williams for a rise in school violence and difficulty in getting students picked up on time due to a shortage of bus drivers. Williams responded with his own letter. It contained five pages of data, graphs and links to reports that the school system had written to respond to several crises.
Williams’ four-year contract ends on June 30, 2023.
Getting to 7 votes
Will Baltimore County even have a functioning school board after Dec. 1? It’s unclear how the board will conduct business given that so many board members have said they aren’t returning.
A quirk in a Maryland law passed years ago means a new board could be without four of its 12 members for months, just as it is trying to decide whether to hire a new superintendent. The terms of four appointed members, as well as Felicia Stolusky — who recently replaced a departed board member — run through Dec. 2. Elections are being held this fall for seven seats. Only two members are certain to return: Board Chair Julie Henn and Vice Chair Rod McMillion, who are both running unopposed this fall.
The four appointed members have not asked to be reappointed, which could potentially leave the board with seven members or fewer by the end of the year. And there is no legal requirement for appointees to stay on the board when their terms are finished. Outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan, who leaves office in January, cannot appoint new members. The appointment of new board members will fall to the new governor, who won’t be sworn in until January.
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The board has been following guidance in its handbook that says seven votes are needed to pass an agenda item.
Targeting the auditor
The school board sought to remove its auditor, but she fought back, saying she was improperly targeted for doing her job.
It started with a sentence in the board’s handbook that says members need seven votes (a majority on a full 12-member board) to pass an agenda item. That guidance has been challenged in court, with Chief Auditor Andrea Barr alleging that a failed vote to renew her contract was unlawful.
During a May 17 special meeting, six members of the then-11-member board, including the student member, voted to renew the contract of Barr, a 36-year county employee who had issued reports critical of the board’s budgetary practices. However, two board members — Lily Rowe and Russell Keuhn — recused themselves, and three others — Henn, Kathleen Causey and Lisa Mack — abstained.
Although the vote was 6-0, Henn said that the motion to extend Barr’s contract had failed. Barr appealed the firing to the state board of education. She also filed a lawsuit against the county board, contending that the vote should have allowed her to keep her job.
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Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Nancy Purpura agreed, granting Barr’s motion for a temporary restraining order. It ordered the school board to correct the vote and extend Barr’s contract to June 30, 2023.
Bad blood
Could relations among board members get any worse?
The school board has been divided for years, with Causey, Henn, Mack and Kuehn usually voting as a block and Scott, Jose and former member Cheryl Pasteur generally opposing them. Causey and Henn have been accused of underhanded attempts to control the board.
At a recent circuit court hearing, five witnesses called by Barr’s attorney, Kathleen Cahill, testified that the auditor should keep her job. One of the witnesses was Jose. She testified that she had been threatened by Causey in the past and was concerned that her testimony at the hearing would put her at risk.
Causey’s name came up multiple times during the two-day hearing. During Barr’s testimony, she said Causey and Kuehn made her job more difficult. She said they wanted her to bend to their agendas, threatened her job and screamed at her.
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“I always felt that my head was in a guillotine and the blade was raised,” Barr testified.
The lawyer for the school board, Craig Meuser, argued that a board vote to remove Barr was lawful, that there was no evidence Barr was retaliated against, and that a 2019 investigation into whether she had been bullied found no evidence to support this accusation.
However, Judge Sherrie Bailey ruled in favor of Barr. She granted her a preliminary injunction, allowed Barr to keep her job until the court can hold a trial on the merits of the case, and ordered the board not to retaliate against Barr nor interfere with her employment.
“There’s some concerning information that has been presented,” Bailey said in an explanation of her ruling.
Cahill filed a complaint alleging retaliation with the Office of Inspector General of Education but does not know when she will hear back. She also is waiting for the state board to respond to Barr’s letter appealing the county school board’s decision. She sent a letter July 11 to the attorney general’s office, which represents the state board, calling for the removal of Causey, Henn, Keuhn, Mack and Rowe for trying to end Barr’s career.
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Board makeover?
The board dysfunction may be nearly over, depending in part on the results of the coming primary election. But that depends on who voters elect in July and November.
Most board members will not be returning after this election cycle, and 15 candidates are competing for their seats. Two current board members are guaranteed to return, since they are running uncontested: Henn of District 5 and McMillion of District 7.
For the July 19 primary election, 10 candidates are running for three seats. The names of the three candidates in Districts 1 and 2, and the four candidates in District 4, will be on the ballots July 19. The top two candidates with the most votes will advance to the Nov. 8 election.
Six of the 15 candidates received endorsements from County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, and the Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County. They are Robin Harvey, Jane Lichter, Diane Young, Samay Singh Kindra, Henn and Pumphrey. Olszewski did not, however, endorse McMillion.
Three primary candidates stand out when it comes to their responses to a Banner questionnaire: Cory Koons of District 1, Rebecca Chesner of District 2 and J. Michael Collins of District 4. Each say they are concerned, or outright oppose, discussions about race in classrooms, are against mask mandates, and find it inappropriate to discuss LGBTQ issues in class.
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The newest member of the board, student member Roah Hassan, participated in her first meeting July 12. She was candid about the board’s current state.
“We are a house divided,” she said, adding that they cannot afford to be. “This board values politics over nonpartisanship, it values personal bias and clicks over professionalism. And the lack of respect from this entire [board] hinders our work to actively improve BCPS.”
Liz Bowie contributed to this report
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