TOWSON (WMAR) — The Baltimore County School Board is holding a special session Monday. It comes days after receiving a letter from the majority of county council members, calling for the superintendent to be replaced. Superintendent Darryl Williams has since responded, defending his actions over the last three years.
Last week, five of the seven Baltimore County Council members wrote a letter to the Board of Education, saying they want the current superintendent replaced when his contract ends next year. Williams signed a four-year contract in June of 2019.
They believe Williams has failed to address several problems in the Baltimore County school system, including violent incidents, issues with bus schedules, declining grades and high turnover with teachers and staff because of low morale, poor communication and a quote "dysfunctional school board."
“We have entirely way too many problems; way too many malfunctions. We've had three and a half years and I don't see anything improving so on a personal basis I’d like to see the Board of Education do a superintendent search,” said councilman Tom Quirk.
Williams responded with a five-page letter to the county council, defending himself from the allegations, saying the effort is counterproductive and motivated by election-year politics. He included concrete evidence of his work, with data, graphs and new initiatives, including a new safety assistant position and leadership training over the summer.
The Baltimore County Parent and Student Coalition wrote to the county council, saying they want accountability but find the timing curious, because they have been calling for something to be done for two years. They support not renewing the superintendent’s contract until an extensive search is done for a new one.
The special session is closed to the public tonight, and the school board will have its regularly scheduled tomorrow, with another closed session until 6:30 p.m.
