December 2nd, 2013 by WCBC Radio
When the Allegany County Board of Education meets with the District One Delegation later this month- the board will ask for legislation that would prohibit ex-officio members from sitting in on closed sessions. The issue became a point of controversy earlier this year when the county commissioners, one of whom occupies a seat as an ex-officio, nonvoting member on the school board, pushed for admittance to what have previously been closed sessions of the board. Those meetings, referred to as executive sessions, have only allowed for elected board members, legal counsel, the superintendent and certain administration members when necessary- to attend and participate. Often times the sessions deal with litigation, personnel, contracts, and student appeal hearings. After the commissioners forced the issue, complete with a legal opinion from the state, the board acquiesced and began to allow the commissioners representative to attend. However during the most recent board meeting, school board President Ed Root said that after further consideration- he feels that it is simply not ethical to have the ex-officio present during sensitive personnel issues and funding negotiations- and thus will ask the legislative delegation to intervene…
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