Baltimore lawmakers in the House of Delegates endorsed a bill Friday that would give the mayor sole control over appointments to the city’s school board — a measure Mayor Catherine Pugh has called her top priority for the legislative session.
Under the current system, the Baltimore mayor and the governor share a role in picking and removing the board’s members. Karen Stokes, a lobbyist for Pugh, called that arrangement, which was created in 1997, "outdated."
"It would … be in all of our interests if this appointment process was returned to Baltimore city and headed up by the city’s chief executive," she told lawmakers before the vote.
The bill would also create a community panel to propose names of board members to the mayor. That job is currently handled by the state school board.
The delegation’s approval is a key vote of support for the bill, as the General Assembly often defers to local lawmakers on matters affecting only a single jurisdiction.
The board, which currently consists of nine full commissioners and a student, oversees policies and the budget for city schools. A law passed last year will add two elected commissioners beginning in 2022.
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said Wednesday she will ask the General Assembly to give her the authority to appoint members to Baltimore’s school board.
Pugh, a Democrat who resigned from the Maryland Senate after being elected mayor last year, had stated her intent to seek that authority during…
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said Wednesday she will ask the General Assembly to give her the authority to appoint members to Baltimore’s school board.
Pugh, a Democrat who resigned from the Maryland Senate after being elected mayor last year, had stated her intent to seek that authority during…
A spokesman for Republican Gov. Larry Hogan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the legislation.
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