Harford County Board of Education member Robin Rich, who represents the North Harford area, announced moments ago at Monday night’s Board meeting that she will resign her position effective December 1.
Rich’s departure will reduce the seven-member Board of Education down to just five members (with earlier resignation of John Smilko of Joppa this summer) until the three newly-elected Board members take office July 1, 2011, or unless Governor Martin O’Malley makes interim appointments.
Rich cited work obligations in her decision to resign.
The Harford County Public School email newsletter, which was distributed at about 7:20 p.m. Monday night, described Rich’s decision as such:
Board Member R. Robin Rich relinquished her position on the Board of Education effective December 2, 2010 due to increasing professional responsibilities with her current employer, Catholic Charities.
Check back with The Dagger for more details later.
There are many important issues facing the board at this critical juncture – redistricting and the budget are just two. If the Governor cares about Harford Co. students he should immediately appoint the winners of the recent school board elections to fill the Smilko and Rich vacancies.
The Baltimore Sun reported that Governor O’Malley is likely to appoint the winners (Bob Frisch and Rick Grambo). The article stated that the Governor will also appoint two additional members to expand the Board to nine members within 90 days of his election.
When did the Sun report this?
Good…We need to get the old Board of Ed members out and start with a fresh board.
Just saw the BOE meeting and it seems like there are some sour grapes about the elected school board. Would Robin Rich have left if there wouldn’t have been an election? Quite frankly the way she and Mark Wolkow snuck behind everyone’s back and got reappointed demonstrates why she is frustrated by the transparency of an elected board. 10 years really is too long for Board members. It seems they lose their perspective and their reason for wanting to do it in the first place. Hope that doesn’t hope with elected members but at this point a change is desparately needed.
Kudos to Tom Evans who had the grace to congratulate all of the people who ran and acknowledge how difficult it is. He has run for office before so he at least knows.
I observed the appointed board for years. Those appointed BOE members were responsible and cared about all of the students in the HCPS. When tough decisions had to be made, they made them, whether I or anyone else agreed or not. I have talked to people in other counties who have elected boards, and in my limited sample, they aren’t happy. Robin Rich and other board members were not happy about the elected board, but not because it was going to hurt them, because they thought it was going to make it harder for the Board of Education to make kids its major priority. For example, the redistricting of secondary schools a few years ago. Because one neighborhood in particular was being redistricted, they caught the ear of Barry Glassman, who was only too happy to introduce this elected/appointed Board of Education. The Board made a tough decision, as redistricting always is, and the politicians saw this as an opportunity to gain some votes. Look at the County Council. Their job should be the concern of the entire county, but instead, they worry about their distict. We have now done this to the Harford County Public Schools. This elementary redistricting should be an interesting event, and we will soon find out how much intestinal fortitude our elected board members possess. I will also be anxious to see how many will run for reelection when they realize how many hours they will be devoting to the job away from their families. While I disagree with an elected board, I do wish them well for the good of our youth.
UPDATED:
http://www.daggerpress.com/2010/11/09/harford-county-school-board-in-transition-after-election-and-resignation-of-rich/