Not Unless County Council Gets Off the Dime
As long as Wicomico County voters aren’t allowed to have a say in who runs their public schools they will continue to see a school system that grows in bureaucracy and borrows to build new schools rather than adequately maintain existing buildings. All anecdotal evidence indicates that a majority of voters favor a school board elected in the same manner as the county council – five members by district and two members at large. The only way to receive objective evidence is a vote at the polls; something that certain special interest groups want to deny Wicomico voters.
An elected school board will not be a silver bullet to correct the problems our public schools face; it certainly won’t yield worse results than we’ve seen to date. However, the powers that be continue to stonewall the county’s voters.
How can we get an elected school board? It all starts with the County Council. They need to pass a resolution which would (hopefully) be signed by newly elected County Executive Bob Culver. Members of the county’s legislative delegation would then be asked to sponsor a bill in Annapolis calling for a question to be placed on the 2016 ballot. If the question received a majority vote of Wicomico voters, it would then fall on the legislature to approve a bill allowing for an elected school board.
The process could fall apart at any step of the process. BUT … it needs to start with the County Council. As the legislative session begins, and the deadline to introduce bills fast approaches, where is the County Council on this issue? They have had two opportunities to introduce a resolution but council president John Cannon hasn’t placed anything on the agenda. Could Culver introduce a resolution? Sure. But let’s face it; his hands are full while the council isn’t doing much more than approving appointments right now.
Cannon claims to support an elected school board, but he set’s the council’s agenda. There is no reason not to place a resolution on the council’s agenda … IMMEDIATELY! Waiting makes it less likely that Wicomico will have an opportunity to select the people who run our schools rather than Annapolis doing it for us.
7 comments:
For the record, I couldn't agree more with this Post.
Cannon needs to step forward and start showing the people that voted for him that he means business.
I personally believe he'd have the support of the County Executive as well as Delegate Anderton.
Let's see what Cannon is truly about.
Now that Norm's Goneway, if council and the exec get this rolling, there won't be the obfuscatory bill in the way!
Joe,
...agreed on your comments - time to see the mettle of his making (Cannon)
Paladin
Pollitt was the one who would never put an elected school board forward. Culver will. However, I have to agree that Cannon needs to show what he is made of. I fear he is a puppet and not his own man. I have faith that now that the holidays are over, Culver will really take the reins and clean the mess up that he controls now. Cannon, unfortunately, is out of his control. However, public pressure can do a lot. Keep the focus on Cannon and his antics.
Get it on the agenda, John.
An elected school board will enable citizens to vote out members who have no stomach for holding a supt. accountable. Any member who acts like an employee instead of an employer should be voted out.
I sent a reminder of salary of the teachers. Once everyone refreshes that money flow in their heads. A lot of teachers need to be let go. Old and out dated making to much money. Stupid unexplainable positions with salaries and these teachers do what they want at no cost. How many assaults in wicomico from teachers in the last five years or so? Most of which was sexual. Parents complain and become upset when they're concerns are not addressed! What do they do? Lock up the parents and never look at the teacher, as they do no wrong until caught physically.
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