Harford school board members appointed by Hogan gone; new members appointed by Cassilly take over

Jul. 18—Aaron Poynton, a Republican who worked on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' national leadership team, was elected president of the Harford County Board of Education at Monday night's meeting. Melissa Hahn was elected vice president.

Poynton is one of three school board members appointed by County Executive Bob Cassilly who were seated at the meeting.

In 2022, legislation approved by the Maryland General Assembly transferred appointment authority from the governor to the county executive and required executive appointments to be made within 90 days of the November general election. Members appointed by the county executive will serve two-year terms.

Cassilly, who was a state senator at the time and was running for county executive, voted in favor of that bill.

Joyce Herold, Roy Phillips and Patrice Ricciardi were appointed to the school board by former Gov. Larry Hogan in 2019 for four-year terms. They completed their terms in June.

"It was an honor and great privilege to work with, and get to know, Ms. Ricciardi, Dr. Phillips and Dr. Herold in our time together on the Board of Education of Harford County," said former Harford County Board of Education president Carol Mueller. "They are all passionate advocates for the students of Harford County Public Schools and we thank them for their dedicated service to making our schools a safe place for all students to learn and grow. I look forward to the opportunity to continue that work with our newest board members as we strive to provide the best education possible to the students of HCPS."

Cassilly announced on Feb. 3 that he nominated Poynton, Theresa Kocher and Lauren Strauss to the school board.

"It's an honor to be a member of the Board of Education," said Poynton. "I want to thank the county executive, the County Council, and members of the public who supported me during the confirmation process. Over the past several months, I have met with key staff and other stakeholders to get up to speed on the issues."

Poynton, a Joppatowne resident and parent of three children in Harford County Public Schools, is an Army Special Operations veteran with four degrees, including a doctorate in public administration from the University of Baltimore. He is also co-founder and chief commercial officer of A3 Global, a next-generation company focused on the future of mobility in the circular economy, according to his LinkedIn page.

In 2022, another of Poynton's companies, Omnipoynt Solutions, managed the COVID-19 testing site at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium. That clinic was run in partnership with the Harford County Health Department and University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health.

Strauss has two children at Havre de Grace High School, and two bachelor's degrees from James Madison University. Strauss works as the director of program management for a small business in the defense industry.

"I am deeply honored, humbled, and excited to be serving on the Board of Education for Harford County Public Schools," said Strauss. "I am deeply committed to ensuring that HCPS remains transparent and accountable for educational performance and that collectively we create a learning environment that fosters growth and high academic achievement."

Kocher retired from the U.S. Army after 30 years in civilian roles at the Pentagon and Aberdeen Proving Ground. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Salisbury State College and a master's degree in systems management from Florida Institute of Technology.

"I am honored to be appointed to the Board of Education," Kocher said.

Madina Sabirova, a senior at Harford Technical High School's culinary arts program, will serve as the 2023-2024 student member of the board. Sabirova is vice president of her school's Muslim Student Association and is a member of the Debate Team, National Honor Society, Rho Kappa and Voices of Equity Club, and Harford Tech's varsity tennis team.

"I'm so excited to work alongside my new colleagues, and making an impact in our schools," said Sabirova. "For the students who took the time to listen to what I had to say and trusted me enough to put me in this honoring position, I want to say thank you."

Cassilly's appointments were criticized in February by the Harford County NAACP and the Harford County Democratic Central Committee, which expressed concerns over the candidates' philosophies. Henry Gibbons, chair of the Democratic central committee, indicated that Poynton and Strauss are affiliated with controversial national conservative groups.

Despite the Harford County NAACP's concerns, the organization welcomed the newly appointed members to the board.

"We congratulate the new board members and look forward to a term where their thoughts and actions reflect support for all of the children and educators in Harford County," said Vicki Jones, president of the Harford County NAACP. "We have invited each new member to speak at our August membership meeting so that our members can learn more about them."

But the Harford County Democratic Central Committee still has concerns regarding the new members. Leaders say they are worried about the conservative members' effect on the board.

"The HCDCC is deeply concerned about the trajectory that the new Board of Education members may take," said Henry Gibbons, chair of the committee. "The education of Harford County's children needs to be rooted in facts, science, and the best traditions of honest inquiry in the sciences and in the humanities. There is no place for ideology in the education of our students. We will be watching the actions of the new members and will hold them and those who appointed them accountable if their policies verge into religious or political indoctrination."

Some parents and community members who attended the board meeting were happy about the new members and said they hope that they will focus on the county's declining Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program scores. Other parents and community members reminded board members that they are nonpartisan and have to respect the rights of all students.

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"I came to speak tonight to address the new board. While not lacking in life experience, you all don't have the lengthy board experience that some others have" said Karen Waller, a resident of Bel Air. "I wanted to speak tonight in support of [Superintendent] Dr. [Sean] Bulson. I think he provided steady leadership during a very difficult time. I think he can be counted on to work with the new board to get things going in a positive direction. We all agree that the pandemic gave traditional education some huge challenges. Certainly, achievements suffered while families did the best that they could with at home learning, and now everyone is working hard to make up for loss of instructional time. I think Dr. Bulson managed to balance the needs o the community while adhering to the guidelines form the state board of education and the health department."

Waller continued: "After listening to the last few speakers, I feel compelled to add that being inclusive does not preclude high achievement. On the contrary, showing LGBTQ children that they and their families are welcomed in schools, and in Harford County, will build a better community and enhance overall achievement. I shutter at the thought of how many vulnerable children who will be bullied should diversity, equity, and inclusivity become a thing of the past."

Board election

After the new board members were seated, the school board voted on its new president and vice president. The president and vice president need six votes to win election, according to Bulson.

Former vice president Wade Sewell nominated Mueller as president. Both Sewell and Mueller had been serving in their respective positions since being sworn in and selected by their peers in January. Hahn nominated Poynton. The board voted 6-4 for Poynton with Alvarez, Hahn, Strauss, Kocher, Poynton, and Sabirova voting for him.

Hahn and board member Diane Alvarez were nominated for vice president, but Alvarez declined the nomination. Both were supported by the parental rights group Moms For Liberty during their 2022 campaigns. The board voted 6-4 for Hahn.

"Please be patient with me as I get settled into the new position," said Poynton. "First, I'm grateful for this board's confidence in my leadership abilities. In the recent months, I've taken the initiative to meet with many of the key staff here and the stakeholders to familiarize myself with the pressing issues. Throughout the onboarding process, the superintendent, board leadership, and the entire HCPS family has extended me and the other new board members a very warm welcome. This experience has allowed me to gain valuable insight into the exceptional school system and people that we have here, but I do recognize that there is so much more work for us. Our first job is going to be to listen and to learn. We are faced with a considerable amount of work before us. During my tenure, I am determined to prioritize academic achievement in the school system, and I am committed to fostering a culture with the community of transparency, accountability, and trust."

The next board meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 14.