The new-look, nine-member Harford County Board of Education unanimously elected Leonard Wheeler as its president and Rick Grambo as its vice president shortly after 7 p.m. during its Monday night meeting.
There were no challengers as Grambo nominated Wheeler and Alysson Krchnavy nominated Grambo for their respective positions.
Wheeler said he was “excited about the role I’m about to play,” but acknowledged the Board of Education would face “some difficult times” including the budget, but not limited to Harford County.
Grambo said he was “humbled and honored” and wanted to be sure “all nine board members have a voice.”
Stay tuned to The Dagger for more updates as they are available.
Meet your Harford County Board of Education
At a swearing-in ceremony held on a hot July 11, a bit of Harford County history was made as both elected and appointed board members were sworn into office and the school board was officially expanded from seven to nine members.
Harford County, meet your new school board:
Left to Right Back Row: Superintendent Robert Tomback; Rick Grambo, Joe Hau, James Thornton, Bob Frisch, Student RepresentativeTony Cofrancesco
Front Row: Cassandra Beverley, Leonard Wheeler, Nancy Reynolds, Ron Browning, Alysson Krchnavy
Photo courtesy of LifeTouch
The expansion of the school board is part of an ongoing transition from a fully appointed board to a board made up of six elected and three appointed members, following the passage of state legislation in 2009. The transition will be complete following the 2014 elections.
From the Harford County Board of Education:
The Board of Education of Harford County met in an open business meeting on Monday, July 11, 2011, in the Board Room of the HCPS/A.A. Roberty Building and took the following the actions or received the following presentations:
– Nominated and unanimously approved the election of the new Board President, Dr. Leonard Wheeler.
– Nominated and unanimously approved the election of the new Board Vice President, Mr. Francis F. “Rick” Grambo, III.
– Performed the swearing-in ceremony for Student Representative Tony Cofrancesco.
Recognized the following:
– 2011 Custodial Awards Program
– Approved the Consent Agenda:
– Monthly Report on Personnel (Goal 3)
– Affirmation of Monthly Contract Awards (Goal 3)
Minutes of Previous Meetings: (Goal 3)
June 27, 2011
– Decision on Contract Award for Food and Nutrition Supplies and Paper Goods(Goal 3)
– Discussed the 2013 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) preview of the proposed budgetary request.
– During the Superintendent’s Report, received a presentation regarding the 2011 Maryland State Assessment (MSA) data
Love Tomback’s totally disinterested look…
Watched the Board meeting tonight and was listening to some of the new Board members. Ron Browning worked for Baltimore County Public Schools for years. What is his relationship with Dr. Tomback? I have heard that he is apparently pretty close with him. Is this a conflict of interest?
@Just Wondering –
What exactly would be the nature of a conflict between Tomback and Browning?
I’m just wondering what kind of bomb-thrower you are?
What it be appropriate if they were close friends and he was in charge of deciding about his raises and doing performance reviews? I don’t know what their relationship is which is why I am asking. How does that make me a bomb thrower?
@Just Wondering you are casting aspersions and doubt about the integrity and character of Tomback and Browning absent any facts and that makes you a despicable bomb-thrower. You should be ashamed of yourself.
What would you say if I asked you when did you stop using heroin?
There have been plenty of reasons already to cast doubts and aspersions about Dr. Tomback’s “integrity and character”. You totally shot your own integrity and character all to pieces with your heroin comment, so we can effectively ignore you and anything you have to say on the subject. Thanks.
As long as Browning is a resident of Harford County and not an employee of HCPS he is eligible to serve on the BOE! If we turned away anyone who who knew any current HCPS employee then there could be no one left to serve!
Guess this is one of the problems with appointments and appointed school board members. If this would have been an election and there would have been discussions and/or debates, the question could have been addressed by other candidates or voters if there was concern.
Still @Just Wondering when did you stop using heroin?
Mr. Browning and Tomback have a long and close friendship since when they worked together in the Baltimore County school system. Under the circumstances to is quite appropriate to question this relationship and whether Mr. Browning can separate his friendship when making decisions about Tomback’s performance.
It is ridiculous to question members of the school board or Dr. Tomback based on whether they are friends or not. Dr. Tomback did not make the appointment. I don’t know if the two men are friends. I don’t care, as long as, they make decisions which are in the best interests of the students and staff of HCPS. Why not judge our officials by their deeds rather than conjecture?
It does seem a bit too cozy. It is one thing for a Board Member be issued a rubber stamp of approval with the governor’s appointment, but an existing friendship could cloud objectivity when dealing with performance and compensation issues with the Superintendent.
I consider myself a person who likes to look at the facts and see if there are any. I attended the swearing in and was pleased by what I saw. There are a number of professionals on the board that do not look like a rubber stamp for anyone. I may be a county resident, but would be one to give the board a chance. WE ARE DEALING WITH THE CHILDREN HERE!!!!!!!!!!!! My children attend Harford County Schools and that should be the focus of the decisions. I know one of the board members on a personal level and one on a professional level. Don’t think they are ones to play favorites! Just sworn in and mud is already being slung. NOT A GOOD START
I am not sure if anyone is slinging mud but questioning some appointments. There are several people on the BOE who are very involved with the Democratic Committee in Harford county and one person who is both on the liquor board and now the BOE. I don’t think it is inappropriate to make connections between certain things. I agree that an election would have weeded out some of this because it would have come up in an election but none of these new people are elected. One of the biggest complaints about the BOE over the years has been that it is a “rubber stamp” for the Superintendent so it would follow that there would be concern about someone who may have a close relationship with that person. Hopefully they will all do what is “best for the kids” but there seems to be much disagreement about what really means.
You are slinging mud. You seem to think a member of the democratic party is not fit for the BOE. Would you have the same objections of someone with conections to the GOP? My wife plays cards with a former BOE members wife. He had no problem seperating BOE buisness from social occasions and my wife had no problem not using him as a lobbying target.
Touchy, aren’t we? Would you be so gung-ho about the political appointments had it been a Republican governor who appointed Republicans to the BOE?
It is realistic to expect that Gov. O’Malley would appoint Democrats to these posts. That’s the way politics works. However, it is also realistic to expect that any and all appointed BOE members get scrutinized, given how well all those political appointees in the past have served the public trust. I am not so concerned about the gentleman who is serving on both the BOE and the Liquor Board. I am concerned with whether or not a close, personal friend of the Superintendent will be able to maintain objectivity when it comes to approving or disapproving Dr. Tomback’s initiatives and potential contract renewal.
It can be safely said that most of the members of the BOE have some political allegiances. For example, it should be pointed out that Mr. Grambo has been previously identified by the Dagger as a local Tea Party activist.
As far as the Democrats, Cassandra Beverley stepped down from the Democratic Central Committee so that she could focus on her new BOE responsibilities. Mr. Thornton resigned his position with the New Harford Democratic Club when he was appointed to the Liquor Board and he has since given up his Liquor Board position. Both did the responsible thing and separated themselves from potential conflicts of interest. Ms. Beverley ran simultaneously for both Central Committee and School Board – voters knew what they were getting and voted her onto the School Board on her own merits.
The people on the newly sworn-in Board of Education are serious about their responsibilities and should be given an opportunity to exercise their best judgement before people start questioning their motives.
Mr. Browning’s personal relationship with Tomback is fair game especially when you also take into account the superintendent’s relationships with several hires he has brought in from Baltimore Co. The question here is whether Tomback has disclosed these relationships to the school board prior to his recommendations. It is already pretty well known inside and outside the school system that some board members are not happy with this pattern of hiring.
I totally agree with the questioning — and would expect it rather it be a BOE position or the County Executive. When you serve the public, you open that door. I, for one, have no real faith in half of these BOE members after the redistricting fiasco this winter. Clearly they worked deals behind closed doors for “friends of friends” and allowed a certain north harford councilman to influence their decision as well. So yes, I question their motives with good reason, for my district! And I know for a fact, if Mr. Grambo would answer emails and letters perhaps the attitude of the North Harford area wouldnt be so negative about him. But oh yes, it wasnt HIS kid effected now was it??? But as long as he continues to ignore the PTAs and the parents, his tenure will be short on BOE.
you are right North Harford Parent, Mr. Grambo’s wife writes long nasty letters to her son’s teachers and makes the teachers at North Harford Elementary miserable. I know for a fact that many teachers have lost all respect for Grambo.
Maybe a short term on the BOE is his intention. Lets see if we can connect the dots, Boniface becomes County Exec., Glassman becomes Co. Council Pres., Shroads gets elected to Annapolis, and that leaves the North Harford Co. Council seat open for Grambo.
The recent revelations about the extent of Mr. Browning’s personal relationship with Tomback was a well kept secret. The exposure of this information is already raising eyebrows throughout the county, school system insiders, and among many elected officials. Was this an effort to stack the deck in favor of Tomback who has come under increasing fire during his two years as superintendent?
There is no disputing Mr. Browning’s education background will be a plus as it relates to school system operations. However, his objectivity concerning the performance of the superintendent may be an entirely different matter.
The school board is entering into a critical time as it relates to Tomback’s future in Harford County. By this time next year the board should have already made a decision as to whether they will offer Tomback another four year contract or begin laying the groundwork for choosing another superintendent. Will the new board members be able to get up to speed fast enough to accurately access Tomback’s performance? How will Browning’s relationship with Tomback affect his judgment about his friends future employment with HCPS?
I find all of this quite ridiculous. Finding anyone with the qualifications of knowing what Teachers, Administrators and students’ needs in the school system, especially Harford County, needs to be a priority. We need to support those on the Board of Education. Whether the appointees are friends, has no barring on this. Remember, our kids come first and giving them a better education is the most important item we need to concern ourselves with.
I would rather have people on this board who have a background in the educational system than John Doe who doesn’t.
It is way to early to start slinging anything. Give the Board a chance!
I just read in the Aegis that Mr. James Thornton, who was just appointed to the school board, was also approved by the County Council to be a member of another board created to review the county charter. Mr. Thornton who was also a recent appointee to the county liquor board has correctly stepped down from that position to take the school board seat.
The work of the school board is too important for divided loyalties. School board members need to devote their full attention to this position if they are to properly serve the best interests of students, parents, and taxpayers.
Surely Mr. Thornton was nominated for the charter review board before he learned of his school board appointment, and just as he relinquished his liquor board seat he should also step away from the review board position.
To do either job properly will require a significant commitment of his time and energy. This may be the first test of Mr. Thornton’s commitment to his school board duties. He cannot do justice to both boards. It is time for Mr. Thornton to choose.
If they need to devote their full time and attention to this we should pay them like that.
Grambo and his wife need to start treating the teachers at their child’s school with a little bit more respect.