At the beginning of the school year, Maryland's State School Superintendent Carey Wright had a clear warning for local education officials: “Follow state law.”
That might seem like a strange thing for the State Superintendent to have to say. But not so strange if you consider what was happening in Somerset County.
The local school board there sought to remove county school superintendent Ava Tasker-Mitchell. Led by chair Matthew Lankford, the board objected to Tasker-Mitchell’s DEI policies. Lankford, who is White, accused Tasker-Mitchell, who is Black, of insubordination. In her counter complaint to the board requesting Lankford's removal, Tasker-Mitchell claimed Lankford had verbally threatened her and that she feared for her safety.
Tasker-Mitchell and the school board eventually agreed to part ways.
There’s no doubt that school systems across the country are caught up in the heated political climate that pervades all of American life. Donald Trump campaigned on a promise of dismantling the US Department of Education, a promise he is in the process of keeping. Federal funding for schools has been slashed, and the state has its own problems when it comes to funding the ambitious educational development plans called for in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Enrollment in Maryland schools is down, but test scores are up in many places.
State School Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright is Tom's guest for the hour today. They spoke Tuesday afternoon (January 20), and because the conversation is pre-recorded, we can’t take any calls or online comments today.
Dr. Wright joined us on Zoom…
