Delegate Haven Shoemaker introduced legislation to add term limits for Board of Education members.
Click for bill details and status
This statement was read by Board of Education member Devon Rothschild at a local hearing.
The Carroll County Board of Education opposes any legislation to impose term limits on the Board of Education of Carroll County.Our position is based, in part, on our limited knowledge of the potential bill. Delegate Shoemaker has not provided any information directly to the Board of Education regarding his intent to limit Board of Education terms in office. Therefore we are limited to basing our position from media reports on his comments about the proposed legislation.Further, the rationale offered for the bill’s intent has been confusing. Delegate Shoemaker proposes the bill for the purpose of combating “political cowardice” of past Board of Education and to incent future Boards to make more difficult decisions. The Board of Education believes that laws should be more grounded in sound reasoning than political reactions.Moreover, the need for this legislation appears to be unnecessary. A review of Board Member tenure over the last several decades reveals that very few Board of Education members serve more than two terms. In addition, the Board of Education believes that the voters of Carroll County should determine how long their elected representatives should serve.Therefore, the Board of Education opposes term limits for the Board of Education of Carroll County. This position is consistent with our published Legislative Positions that promotes local control of all educational decisions. We believe strongly that is the right of the majority of citizens to select the Board of Education members that they believe best serve the community every four years.