Democrats Want to Play Politics with Education Jobs in Maryland

THE MARYLAND state Board of Education has done a good job of recruiting and hiring state school superintendents, who have contributed to the state’s reputation as a leader in education. Similar sound judgment has been shown by the Board of Regents in the selection and appointment of chancellors, who have helped build Maryland’s university system. Now some lawmakers are seeking to upend this success by giving veto power over these appointments to the Maryland General Assembly.

The impetus for politicizing these critical education jobs is obvious. Democrats don’t like having a Republican in the governor’s office, so they hope to chip away at his authority.

Under legislation pending in the state Senate, appointment of the state school superintendent would be subject to confirmation by the Senate, while selection of the chancellor of the University System of Maryland would have to be approved by the House of Delegates and the Senate. Currently, the appointments are made, respectively, by the state Board of Education and the Board of Regents without interference from either the governor or the General Assembly.

“Searching for and recruiting a system head is challenging and difficult enough,” Board of Regents member James T. Brady told the Senate. He observed that good candidates are not likely to be interested in a job in which they would be in political limbo with the risk of rejection. State education board President Guffrie M. Smith Jr. called the proposal “nationally unprecedented in the governance of public education” and said it would impede the board’s ability to make effective and timely decisions.

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