The Baltimore County Board of Education consists of: Seven nonpartisan elected members; Four appointed members; and One student member. Of the 11 elected and appointed members of the county board: One member shall be elected from each of the seven councilmanic districts in the county, established by the County Council of Baltimore County, by the voters of that district; and Four members shall be appointed by the Governor from the county at large. The seven elected members shall be elected at a general election in gubernatorial election years in accordance with § 3–2B–02 of this subtitle. The four appointed members shall be appointed by the Governor in presidential election years from a list of nominees submitted by the Baltimore County School Board Nominating Commission as provided in § 3–2B–03 of this subtitle: On the expiration of the term of an incumbent appointed member within 30 days after the general election; or Within the 30–day period otherwise required under this subtitle. A member from a school board district shall be at least 21 years old, a resident of that district for at least 2 years, and a registered voter of the county before the election. A member from a district who does not maintain residency in that district may not continue as a member of the county board and the office shall be deemed vacant. If the boundary line of a district is changed, the term of an incumbent member of the county board who no longer resides in the district because of the change is not affected during this term. A member may not be elected or appointed to serve on the county board for more than three consecutive terms. A member who has served three consecutive 4–year terms may not be elected or appointed to the county board until at least 4 years have elapsed since the end of the member’s last term on the county board. During an election year: The Governor may not appoint as a member of the county board an individual who files a certificate of candidacy for election to the county board; and An individual who files a certificate of candidacy for election to the county board may not seek appointment to the county board by the Governor through nomination by the Baltimore County School Board Nominating Commission.

At the general election for the elected members of the county board, the ballot shall provide the voters of that school board district with the choice to cast a vote “For” a candidate for election from that district only. After the election results are certified, the State Board shall declare for each district whether a candidate has been elected. In any election, if no candidate files a certificate of candidacy for the office or if no individual otherwise qualifies to have the individual’s name placed on the ballot, the Governor shall appoint a member from a list of nominees submitted by the Baltimore County School Board Nominating Commission to fill that vacancy no later than 30 days after the general election.

There is a Baltimore County School Board Nominating Commission. The purpose of the Commission is to select nominees to be recommended to the Governor as qualified candidates for appointment to the Baltimore County Board of Education. The Commission shall hold at least three public hearings, each in a different councilmanic district, on the selection of multiple nominees before recommending to the Governor nominees for appointment to the county board. For a single vacancy on the county board, the Commission shall hold public meetings in the following manner on the selection of a nominee before recommending to the Governor the nominee for appointment to the county board: For a vacancy in a councilmanic district, at least one public meeting in that councilmanic district; or For a vacancy for a member appointed at large, at least one public meeting at the county board administrative offices. The Commission shall make publicly available on its website: Live video streaming of each public meeting; and A complete and unedited archived video recording of each public meeting for which live streaming was made available under item 1 of this subparagraph. Before the Commission begins interviewing candidates for appointment to the county board, the Commission shall publish the names of all the candidates on the Commission’s website. Except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, a meeting of the Commission shall be open to the public if it involves an action on a candidate for appointment to the county board. A meeting of the Commission that involves an interview of or a deliberation about a candidate for appointment to the county board shall be held without the public in attendance and the meeting shall be recorded. The Commission shall provide a copy of a meeting recording for public inspection within 48 hours after receiving a request for the recording. The Commission consists of 21 members who shall be appointed in accordance with this subsection. The Commission shall reflect the rich cultural, geographic, ethnic, and racial diversity of Baltimore County. The Governor, in consultation with the County Executive of Baltimore County, shall appoint eight members, one from each legislative district that lies in whole or in part in Baltimore County. The County Executive of Baltimore County shall appoint one member from the county at large. The following organizations each shall appoint one member: The Teachers Association of Baltimore County; The Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce; The PTA Council of Baltimore County, Inc.; Towson University; The League of Women Voters of Baltimore County; The Baltimore County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; The Baltimore County Public Schools’ Special Education Citizens’ Advisory Committee; The Baltimore County Student Councils; The Council of Administrative and Supervisory Employees; The Education Support Personnel of Baltimore County; The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3, Council 434; and The Citizens Advisory Council for Gifted and Talented Education. The County Executive of Baltimore County shall designate one of the Commission’s members as chair of the Commission. The term of the chair of the Commission is 4 years. The term of a member of the Commission is 4 years. The Baltimore County Public Schools shall provide staff for the Commission. Beginning October 1, 2018, for each nomination for a vacancy on the county board, the Commission shall submit to the Governor a list of nominees that contains: At least two names for each vacancy; or If there are fewer than two applicants for a vacancy, the number of names that is equal to the number of applicants for the vacancy. Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Commission may retain and reactivate the application of a candidate for a vacancy on the county board for up to 2 years from the date the Commission submitted the list of nominees to the Governor for the vacancy for which the applicant was initially considered. The Commission may reactivate the application of a candidate under paragraph (1) of this subsection only with the consent of the applicant. To reactivate an application under this subsection, the Commission shall: Within 14 days after the date of the new vacancy, send a notice to the applicant requesting consent to reactivate the applicant’s application; and Within 14 days after the date the applicant received the notice under item 1 of this subparagraph, receive the consent of the applicant. Absent an extraordinary circumstance, the Governor shall appoint a member to the county board from the list provided by the Commission. If the Governor elects not to appoint a member from a list submitted by the Commission, the Governor shall return the list to the Commission and request that the Commission submit the names of additional qualified candidates.

Except for the student member, a member serves for a term of 4 years beginning on the first Monday in December after the member’s election or appointment and until a successor is elected or appointed and qualifies. An individual who takes office to fill a vacancy for an elected or appointed member serves for the remainder of the term for which the appointment was made and until a successor is elected or appointed and qualifies. The Governor shall act within 30 days to make any appointment to the county board.

The student member shall: Be an 11th or a 12th grade student in the Baltimore County public school system elected by the middle school and high school students of the county in accordance with procedures established by the Baltimore County student councils; Serve for 1 year; and Advise the county board on the thoughts and feelings of students. Unless invited to attend by an affirmative vote of a majority of the county board, the student member may not attend an executive session that relates to: Hearings on appeals of special education placements; Hearings held under § 6–202(a) of this article; or Collective bargaining. Subject to subsection (d) of this section, the student member may vote on all matters except those relating to: § 6–202(a) of this article; Collective bargaining; and School closings, reopenings, and boundaries. On a majority vote of the nonstudent members, the county board may determine, on a case–by–case basis, whether a matter under consideration is covered by the exclusionary provisions listed in subsection (c) of this section. On or before December 31, 2023, a workgroup composed of several members of the county board and the executive leadership of the Baltimore County public school system shall develop a draft curriculum for budget training for student members of the county board and submit the draft curriculum to the county board for review. The training for student members shall: Focus on the operating and capital budget process of the county board; and Be facilitated by representatives of the Baltimore County public school system’s Division of Business Services. Each student member shall be required to complete the budget training: Within 2 months of the student member’s election to the county board; and In order to be eligible to vote on budgetary matters.

Each nonstudent member of the county board is entitled to receive $7,500 annually as compensation. A student member who completes a full term on the county board shall be granted a scholarship of $7,500 to be applied toward the student’s higher education costs. After submitting vouchers under the regulations adopted by the county board, a member is entitled to the allowances for travel and other expenses provided for in the Baltimore County budget.

A nonstudent member of the county board may not: Be a candidate for or hold elected or appointed office for: A political party; or The local, State, or federal government; or Be a current employee of the Baltimore County public school system.

The State Board may remove an elected or appointed member of the county board or a member appointed by the Governor to fill a vacancy in office for an elected or appointed member for any of the following reasons: Immorality; Misconduct in office; Incompetency; Willful neglect of duty; or Failure to attend, without good cause, at least 75% of the scheduled meetings of the county board in any 1 calendar year. Before removing a member, the State Board shall send the member a copy of the charges against the member and give the member an opportunity to request a hearing within 10 days. If the member requests a hearing within the 10–day period: The State Board promptly shall hold a hearing, but a hearing may not be set within 10 days after the State Board sends the member a notice of the hearing; and The member shall have an opportunity to be heard publicly before the State Board in the member’s own defense in person or by counsel. A member removed under this section has the right to a de novo review of the removal by the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

At the first meeting of the county board in December of each year, the county board shall elect a chair and vice chair from among the members. Except for the actions authorized by subsection (c) of this section, all actions of the county board shall be taken at a public meeting and a record of the meeting and all actions shall be made public. Any action of the county board shall be recorded by a voice vote or a roll call vote of each individual member of the county board who is present at the public meeting. The county board shall: Keep a formal record of each public meeting; and Make the record available for review by members of the public on request. Any final action of the county board shall be made publicly available on the county board’s website within 72 hours of the time the action was taken. On the county board’s website, each action shall include: A full and accurate description of the action to inform the public of the motion or question; and A link or reference to the related video recording of the county board meeting, if available. The county board may take actions in a closed session in accordance with § 3–305 of the General Provisions Article.

There is a School Shared Space Council in Baltimore County consisting of 12 employees of the county appointed by the County Executive for a term coterminous with that of the county board as follows: Two from the staff of the county board; Two from the County Executive’s administrative staff, one of whom shall be the Director of Central Services; One from the Department of Social Services; One from the Department of Recreation and Parks; One from the Department of Aging; One from the Health Department; One from the county community colleges, subject to the following conditions: Representation shall be determined on a rotating basis by alphabetical order by community college name; and Each such member shall serve for 1 year; One from the Department of Juvenile Services; One from the county public libraries; and One from the Department of Planning. A county employee Council member who does not maintain his employment in the county shall be replaced. In addition to the county employee members, there shall be eight county citizens selected as members of the Council as follows and with the following duties: The county citizen members shall be selected by the County Executive. One member shall be selected from each legislative district of Baltimore County with the approval of the State Senator from that district. Each legislative district representative shall reside in that district; Each member shall be selected to serve a 2–year term; A citizen member shall be entitled to attend and vote at a Council session where an issue before the Council concerns the school or schools in the citizen member’s respective district; and When the Council meets to consider countywide issues, all selected citizen members shall be entitled to attend such sessions and vote. The Council shall: Meet as needed to compile the number of spaces in the public schools of the county that are not filled and to evaluate the feasibility of the utilization of the spaces by the community and county departments; and Report its findings and recommendations to the county board and the County Executive at least twice during the school year. The County Executive may, by executive order, appoint up to two additional members to the Council from agencies of the county government.