A veteran Harford County Board of Education member may resign at the end of the year.
Robin Rich, who was appointed in 2002 and reappointed in 2007, is talking privately about ending her term on the school board early, according to several sources.
The partially-elected school board is being phased in following Tuesday’s general election, and Rich’s Northern Harford District D seat is one of the seats being filled, along with Districts A, representing Joppatowne and Edgewood, and B, representing Fallston and Abingdon. Those seats are held by John Smilko and Thomas Evans, respectively.
None of the members holding those three seats entered this year’s election. The first elected members will begin serving July 2011, and will serve four years, with a limit of two successive terms.
When asked at the most recent school board meeting on Oct. 25 about her future, Rich would not say if she is planning to resign.
During the time for comment by members during the meeting, Rich did not have anything to report but said she would have something to say at the next board meeting Nov. 8.
Rich’s term, along with that of Mark Wolkow, the board president who represents the county at-large, were slated to expire June 30, 2012.
But, the new elected board law states that one member’s term will be reduced to end June 30, 2011, and the other extended until June 30, 2015. It doesn’t, however, specify which one.
Regardless, Rich may end her term before either date specified in the law. She declined to run for her seat and is said to be unhappy with the whole partially elected board process. Rich did not respond to repeated attempts by The Aegis to contact her for comment.
Rich’s previous appointments were made by Democratic governors, Parris Glendening in 2002 and current Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2007.
Pat Foerster, one of O’Malley’s education policy advisors, said an informal conversation about Rich’s potential resignation has taken place, but Foerster said her office has not received anything official to act on.
If Rich decides to resign early, her decision would come only a few months after Smilko’s early resignation from the board.
Under the new law, Smilko’s term was supposed to be extended one year until July 1, 2011 — when the first District A elected member is seated. Smilko, however, decided to leave early, saying he wanted to focus on his business.
His seat has been vacant since Sept. 1.
Like Rich, Smilko declined to run for an elected seat and was likewise critical of the new blended board format, where six members will be elected and three will be appointed by the governor.
In the past, the governor would typically appoint someone to finish out Smilko’s term, or in this case until the person elected Tuesday is due to take over.
But with Smilko’s seat up for election, anyway, Foerster has said O’Malley is considering appointing the candidate elected in the general election to begin serving immediately to fill the vacancy. The election finalists for the District A seat are Bob Frisch of Joppa and Jansen Robinson of Edgewood.
O’Malley is also scheduled to appoint two members to the board, expanding the board from seven to nine members, as stipulated by the law.
According to school board law, the governor has the authority to appoint two members to the board “within 90 days of the general election,” according to the school board law.
Whether those appointments should occur 90 days before or after the general election is up to the governor, according to a previous interview with Foerster.
The transition to a partially-elected board will be completed in the 2014 election, when three board members representing county council Districts C, Bel Air and Forest Hill; E, Aberdeen and Churchville; and F, Havre de Grace and Riverside are elected.
Those seats are held by Allysson Krchnavy, Leonard Wheeler and Don Osman, respectively.
The governor will also appoint a third new board member in 2014, in addition to refilling the two 2010 appointments.