Senator George Edwards (Garrett, Allegany, Washington Counties) announced that he plans to submit a bill giving the Allegany County Board of Commissioners the authority to fill vacant board of education seats.

Currently, when a seat on the Board of Education is vacant, the replaced is appointed by the Governor.

From Times-News coverage:

“In Maryland, all counties are different. In Garrett County, the county commissioners make the appointment. So we want to massage it a little bit and put a bill in that says the county will make an appointment if a vacancy becomes available on the board of education,” Edwards said. “That makes it more local and people have a little more input by keeping it local.”

Edwards said having the decision made by the county should also speed up the process.

“All counties are different, so we won’t put a bill in to make all counties (in Maryland) the same,” Edwards said. “But, we looked at how Garrett (County) does it and we think the locals should be the ones to make that appointment.”

The 2020 Maryland Legislative Session convenes on Wednesday, January 8.