Dissent Brews In Baltimore County School Board Nominating Commission Over Selection Process

BALTIMORE COUNTY - Internal disputes are disrupting the Baltimore County School Board Nominating Commission, the community group responsible for proposing potential members to the Board of Education.

A subset of commission members are calling for reevaluating their operating procedures amid conflict over selecting candidates for an open board seat.

Initially, four seats were available on the Baltimore County Board of Education, three of which have now been filled from an initial list of eight recommended names sent to the governor. As the commission works to propose additional candidates for the remaining spot, dissent within the group has come to light.

Several commission members voiced their dissatisfaction with the group's operations at a press conference held on Thursday. Among those expressing concerns was Marisol Johnson, a local business owner and previous Board of Education member, whose application for the open board position was swiftly rejected without explanation.

"There was a meeting, for my understanding, on a Friday. My application was denied by email with no explanation," Johnson said.

Calls for more focus on diversity and transparency in the selection process were also made. Commission member Eugene Clark expressed the need to assess all applicants to select the best individuals carefully.

"We need to look at the whole pot of applicants so that we come up with the best persons available, that's what we are saying," Clark said.

While the commission members did not indicate a timeline for submitting additional names to the governor's office, the commission's next meeting is scheduled for June 6 at the Greenwood campus.