Contact: Ken Muir, Task Force Chair, 301-460-9583
Kathy Zieger, Staff, 240-777-2528
For Immediate Release: August 14, 2001

SCHOOL BOARD CHANGES PROPOSED

The Montgomery County School Board Composition Task Force, which completed a draft report in June, has scheduled a public hearing on its recommendations for Thursday, September 13, 2001. The hearing will be held in the 3rd floor hearing room, Montgomery County Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The 16-member Task Force, created by an act of the 2000 Maryland General Assembly, is recommending an increase from $12,000 to $18,500 in the salaries paid to county Board of Education members. If approved by the Maryland General Assembly, this would be the first salary increase for Board members since 1986. The Task Force also recommends establishing a $2,500 scholarship for the student member of the Board.

Other recommendations include restricting those students who can vote for the student member only to public high school students. Currently, sixth through eighth graders also are eligible to vote for the student member.

Another recommendation would prohibit the student member from voting on Board actions to hire, discipline or terminate any school employee. Currently, the student member may vote on some personnel actions but not on others.

Copies of the Task Force report are available on both the county government web site, www.co.mo.md.us and the school system web site, www.mcps.k12.md.us.

Those wishing to speak at the Task Force Public Hearing should call Kathy Zieger, in the County Executive’s Office, 240-777-2528, to sign up. Individuals may speak for 3 minutes; local organization representatives for 5 minutes; and countywide organization representatives for 10 minutes. Written statements may be sent to Zieger at the County Office Building, 2nd floor, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD 20850; e-mail at Kathy.Zieger@montgomerycountymd.gov.