The Howard County Board of Education discussed and heard testimony on three state legislative measures that would change to the way their members are chosen.

As reported in the Baltimore Sun, Howard County’s Board of Education meeting included discussion of three separate bills on the topic of selection of local school board members. The General Assembly will consider the bills when they reconvene on January 11 in Annapolis.

From the Sun,

One, from Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, would see school board members elected from each of the county’s five councilmanic districts, with the two remaining seats elected at-large. Currently, school board candidates run for seven at-large seats in a non-partisan race.

Two other measures propose assembling public commissions to draw school board districts. Del. Bob Flanagan and Sen. Gail Bates, both Republicans from west county, said their proposals aim to keep politics out of the school board race by foregoing councilmanic districts that they consider to be unfairly drawn.

From the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, seven members of the Howard County School Board are elected at-large to 4-year terms, with an additional student member that serves a 1-year term.

For more information, see Howard school board bills debated for second year.