With his term set to expire next month, Maryland State Board of Education President Andrew Smarick announced that he has submitted a letter of resignation to Governor Larry Hogan. Smarick, who was appointed as a member of the State Board of Education in 2015, served as the school board’s president since 2016.

Smarick is a longtime education policy expert who currently serves as the Morgridge Fellow in Education at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he works on education and related domestic and social policy issues. He was formerly an education official at the U.S. Department of Education under President George W. Bush.

According to Smarick’s Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/smarick/status/1001463437090787329

Just some quick personal news. With my term on the Maryland State Board of Education expiring next month, I’ve submitted my resignation to Gov. Hogan. My time on the board, including the last two years as president, will come to a close after our next meeting on June 20.

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— Andy Smarick (@smarick) May 29, 2018

My most sincere thanks to @GovLarryHogan for appointing me. I’m a product of MD public schools and our three kids attend MD public schools, so it’s been the honor of my career to get to contribute in this way. I’m grateful to Gov. Hogan for this opportunity.

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— Andy Smarick (@smarick) May 29, 2018

I also want to thank the MD State Senate for confirming me. There will always be policy differences among folks who care about a subject, so I appreciate their support. The board faces challenging issues but I always tried to be a courteous, conscientious steward of the seat.

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— Andy Smarick (@smarick) May 29, 2018

I’m also very grateful to my colleagues on the board for allowing me to temporarily hold the gavel. It was a joy to work with such talented, civic-minded professionals who are willing to volunteer their time and energy to such an important cause.

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— Andy Smarick (@smarick) May 29, 2018

Thank you as well to Dr. Salmon and the team at @MdPublicSchools for their commitment to students, educators, and families and for supporting the work of our board. I learned so much from you all, and I’ll be better in the years to come because of your example.

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— Andy Smarick (@smarick) May 29, 2018

It’s been gratifying to work w/ & learn from so many terrific people over the last several years—teachers, parents, local boards, superintendents, and more. I hope I contributed a bit, but I’m very aware that I took way more from the experience than I was able to give.

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— Andy Smarick (@smarick) May 29, 2018

One last thing…and maybe the most important. News articles, opinion pieces, and social media can sometimes give the impression that anger, frustration, resentment, and divisiveness dominate policy and civic engagement today. Nothing could be further from the truth…

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— Andy Smarick (@smarick) May 29, 2018

Every single day, so many good people quietly, happily, & productively work to make their communities better. Beneath all the noise (often far away from Washington), great folks are doing great things. This experience has been inspiring and invigorating. I’m very grateful.

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— Andy Smarick (@smarick) May 29, 2018

 

Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.