I wonder when the sun came up today if he viewed this as a win or the beginning of the end? What a shocking display of hubris. He has now ticked off the legislative leaders, including one from the all important west side of the county and refuted the voters grass roots initiative.

If anything he has just redoubled the desire of the citizens to further hamstring the power of elected officials.

As a politician his ego and inability to accept the opinions of others has proven to be his Achilles.

He is his own worse enemy.

There is no defined process in Annapolis....it's all an illusion that needs to be pierced..

Because Kevin knows better then everyone else. Just ask him!

Of course, politicians in Annapolis know what's best for those of us everywhere in Maryland. The school board issue is a LOCAL issue. I

The Baltimore County representatives to the Maryland House and Senate are elected by citizens of the Baltimore County legislative districts to represent them. By title, the county "executive" is to execute the day to day operations of the county. The elected legislative leaders in response to their constituents shape State policy as it relates to Baltimore County, thus the need for a bill to convert the county to an elected school board.

To your example, the child like behavior is coming from Kamenetz. The citizens and their representatives decided it was time to convert to an elected board. KK stamped his foot and said, "No, I don't want to follow your rules, I want to do it my way."

What you just witnessed was a naked power play and corruption of the democratic process.

Peace and Love works for the County Executive for anyone's information. Stop spending our tax dollars defending your boss. By the way, I am a resident of Owings Mills and have seen Senator Zirkin at my kids' schools every year. I don't remember ever seeing Mr. Kamenetz. Except when he was running for office. I hope Mr. Zirkin runs against Mr. Kamenetz. Kamenetz is acting shamefully.

By the way 'Peace and Love'. I know who you are. Hint. I work for the County too. And if you continue to use your position at the County to attack legislators from the County, the citizens, or anyone else using tax payer dollars, I will send a letter to ethics. Understood? And if I find out you have been directed from the folks upstairs to do this while being paid by County citizens, they will be in the ethics letter too. Got it?

According to her prior posts, Lexa voted for Joe Bartenfelder and is upset that he lost the election.

Peace and Love, I'm curious, do your children go to schools with air conditioning? I also have a child in the system and her school was air conditioned the year she started but there are many other schools that are not. While the system seems to be well-run, there is always room for improvement.

This would not have been an entirely elected school board; it would have been a combination and people who are not "connected" to the governor and county executive would have been able to run for a position on the board. Why shouldn't the citizens have the right to directly elect the school board? It's not like our current governor listens to the average citizen.

Peace and Love,

My "vocal-ness" in this issue was probably typical. After watching the school board's mismanagement of its budget and curriculum I sent an email to each of my representatives and the county exec stating it was my belief the time for local oversight of the board had arrived.

At present a governor's appointments have undue influence on local issues and local taxpayer dollars pour into an agency that does not contain one person responsive to the electorate. Not only could a school board member ignore your inquiries, they could write go to hell on the back of a 100 bill and be perfectly secure in their position.

That email solicited a response from each one in which to paraphrase, they were looking at the issue. To my follow up a few weeks later all responded they were leaning toward an altered school board except Kamenetz. Obviously more than my email swayed their decision. The lifeblood of small region local politics isn't money but communication with your constituents. The council and assembly members understood that and responded in kind. Kamenetz, whose own admitted fault is an oversized ego and inability to admit fallibility did not.

The taxing authority is a straw man. Many school boards are authorized only to spend their legislated budget. Violation of this tenant equals fraud and can result in criminal prosecution. Again, this is a sad day for democratic rule.

Again, Peace and Love. Stop blogging on the tax payer dime. And stop insulting everyone about this issue. Parents of children in the schools are the ones who want this change. Not the politicians. We want it because the school board is tone deaf to our concerns. Just like your boss Kevin Kamenetz. I voted for Joe Bartenfelder because I know Kevin and I would have voted for anyone but that lying, egomaniac.

Peace and Love - There isn't a single school board in the state of Maryland that has taxing authority. This includes the 18 that are all elected and the two that are hybrid boards. This argument is a red herring.

I know, I campaigned for him. I just put that out there kind of to remind people that there are other options and that we need to think hard before electing someone to office. "Does this person represent MY cares and concerns", not just "does this guy have the slickest commercials"

His smear job of Joe remains an ugly moment in the history of the office of the county executive. No matter how his tenure ends the history of it will begin with that story and the confrontation on WYPR.

Kamenetz has consistently stated that he is opposed to an elected school board, including during his campaign.

Revamp the office of curriculum. Open the facility RFP process to public scrutiny. Mandate superintendent searches be open to the public with no closed door sessions. Downsize board of education staffing and transition savings to classroom positions.

The current board spends local tax dollars with no oversight from those citizens. They selected a new superintendent who has nearly no experience through a secretive process despite having been warned due to numerous p.r. mishaps to keep parents informed of the search. They spent money on complex grading system, forced its implementation into the system and then gave the rights to a retiring employee to personally profit. This is what happens with unchecked power.

JD, fair points. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the unchecked power of the Board of Education, thus the Superintendent, encased in the Charter or other laws? Aren't most of these issues with the superintendents? The grading system and personal profiting clearly were.

The truth on the AP test scores and not the spin. The U.S. ranks 25th in the world in Math. And then there is this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/us-falls-in-world-education-rankings_n_793185.html

Or if your prefer the fox guarding the hen house.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-02-10/news/bs-ed-hairston-letter-20110210_1_hairston-wasteful-spending-bid

There is another link and $7 million that was wasted but I'll be kind and let that one slide.

It is a serious question. I work with a group of Moms struggling to compensate for the outdated and inadequate Special Education services provided to students with Autism Disorders in Baltimore County Public School . My son is now in the 10th grade --- and according to his school he is doing very well – with his 5th grade reading comprehension level. It was only after writing to a member of the BOE who had also taken issue with a report on the achievement gap in the reading abilities of high school students with and without disabilities that I was granted an audience with someone at the department of special ed. This does not necessarily translate into an actual intervention but it is a glimmer of hope and that is something special at the high school level.

For the record, I am not an absent parent. In my experience, and common among my peers, schools prefer parents not be involved. Even with the current initiatives to eradicate this divisive climate, IEP teams can only offer services and supports that actually exist. That takes us back to the BOE and budgeting.

To Terrie Wolf. A disability does not go away. Perhaps the best your child will be able to do is read on a level below his chronological age. Special ed services cannot make the disability go away. I believe that the money for SE services is Federal money which comes in to local jurisdictions under the ADA law.

I'd like to see the county curriculum re focus on some trade and hand skill programs.
Sometimes students that are slower readers have great gifts to develop as part of their education experience.

AMEN