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You Can Choose the Next School Board Member (The PNC)
Members of the Harford County Board of Education and the Harford Community College Board of Trustees are appointed by the Governor. One of the most important things a local PTA can do is take part in the Permanent Nominating Caucus (PNC). The PNC is an organization comprised of representatives from non-profit, non-partisan Harford County organizations that have an interest in public education. The PNC submits to the Governor the names of qualified persons to fill the vacancies on the two Boards. Names may also be submitted by elected officials or by individuals on their own account; however, Maryland Governors have a long tradition of appointing Harford County Board members from the nominees submitted by the Caucus.
Each organization that joins the PNC may register four individuals (two delegates and two alternates), and is entitled to two votes for each open position. All PNC Forums and Voting Conventions are open to the public and the media.
Each candidate completes a short questionnaire and biographical form for review by the PNC delegates. At the Candidate's Forum, delegates (and heads of participating organizations) are entitled to ask questions of all candidates. After the Forum(s), delegates have the opportunity to review the candidate positions with their respective organizations. The PNC Board encourages dialogue in all organizations regarding the selection of candidates. The decision of whether or not to direct the votes of delegates is left strictly to each organization.
At the Voting Convention, each delegate votes for one candidate for each open position. The names of the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes for each open position are sent to the Governor, listed in preferential order.
The Board of Education consists of seven lay members appointed for five year terms, staggered so that one or more vacancies occur each year. A two term limit is placed on Board membership. The Board of Trustees is composed of nine members, with like terms and term limits. It is important that candidates for the respective vacancies reside in the appropriate school or council district to contend for a position (with the exception of three at-large members of the Board of Trustees). Board Members may live outside of the current geographical districts and still be eligible to seek a Board position in only one instance. That is, if a Board Member becomes part of another area due to a change in rules and/or redistricting of school boundaries (but not due to member moving to a new residence).
The three at-large positions were created as a result of a law that went into effect in 1994 which disallowed members of the Board of Education to sit at the same time on the Board of Trustees. The third at-large Trustee position will be implemented this year. In addition, the appointment cycle for the Board of Trustees has been altered slightly to reflect the appropriate councilmanic district for each current Board Member, as well as eliminate two At-Large seats from being nominated in the same year. Beginning with the appointments made in 1996, candidates for the Board of Trustees have been required to reside in the appropriate Councilmanic (rather than school) District.
PNC membership
applications for PTAs and other community organizations are mailed in
February. Identify your delegates to the PNC and return the application
with the appropriate fee. Your PTA is then eligible to vote for the next
Board of Education member.