Making a Bad Idea Worse

According to today's Sun, County Executive Janet Owens has endorsed Delegate John Leopold's school board referendum bill, but thinks the bill doesn't go far enough. Owens believes that the bill should be amended to included the option of total disestablishment of the County School Board.

As it stands now, the public already does not have enough voice in education policy in our county. The only current outlet parents can use to choose policymakers is through the School Board Nominating Convention process. Even then it is easy for the process to be circumvented, as Ms. Owens well knows from the 2002 selection process.

The only setting in which parents, citizens, and community leaders can have their voices heard on the specific education issues that matter to their children is during School Board hearings. Any citizen can is afforded the opportunity to speak before the Board on any education related issue for up to three minutes. How does Ms. Owens propose that the people have their voices heard if the Board is disestablished.

Ms. Owens suggestion of disestablishing the school board is ludicrous from the get-go. Even Delegate Leopold, who never fails to seize upon an opportunity to win Democratic support, was lukewarm towards her proposal. Her proposal should not be taken seriously. The community needs a voice. It does not need further centralization of control of the education of our children.