Baltimore City school board applications have recently closed, marking the first time in 20 years that the mayor will have sole discretion over who lands a job and who doesn’t.

On March of this year, the Maryland Senate voted to grant the mayor of Baltimore, Catherine E. Pugh, sole authority over appointments for the Baltimore City School Board. Prior to this, a system was in place whereby the mayor of Baltimore had shared responsibility with the governor of Maryland when selecting members for the school board. Created in 1997 to replace an elected board of education, this law was originally made to oversee the school system and push it to become more effective at improving educational attainment.

This change, which fulfills Pugh’s campaign promise to “restore governance of our [Baltimore] schools to the city,” comes at a time of continued struggle for the Baltimore’s students. Educational achievement in Baltimore is noted to be low despite the purpose of the 1997 law; only about 10 to 15 percent of students in Baltimore-area schools passed the PARCC standardized tests. Furthermore, the city’s school system had been dealing with increasingly severe budget deficits, with the deficit at about $130 million earlier this year.

It is hoped that emphasizing local, city-based control over the school board will help mitigate some of these issues. The issues with the budget can be managed more directly if the school board members are appointed by a mayor who works with and focuses on the city, rather than having to go through the state. With Baltimore-based concerns at the forefront of the mayor’s agenda, issues with educational achievement can also be addressed in a manner that puts the needs of Baltimore children first.

Currently, the Baltimore city school board consists of nine commissioners and one student member. Each member serves for three years, and new appointments are made on a staggered basis each year. This year, there are three open spots on the board, with the vacancies now being filled at the mayor’s discretion.

An op-ed in the Baltimore Sun mentioned that Pugh’s decision will help increase the perception of public accountability with regards to the school board. According to the article, “even if mayors effectively have substantial control over appointments, they are not generally perceived as responsible for the district’s success or failure nor are they generally involved even indirectly in either policy or management,” and it hints that Pugh’s changes will help bring a greater sense of accountability to the public without sacrificing the positive changes of the 1997 law, notably the experience-based qualifications which the governor and mayor would require for applicants to the school board.

However, some people have suggested that this change does not go far enough. In a statement made earlier this year, Baltimore City Council president Jack Young expressed his desire to “take back the school system entirely” in a more direct, accountable manner, adding, “I am not happy with the present system in place.”

There are provisions in place to address some of these concerns. Beginning in 2022, two elected commissioners will join the nine appointed commissioners as part of the school board. This is intended to maintain a measure of influence over the board of education to democratic public control, while still keeping the desired qualifications as necessary.

Applications to the school board were accepted through the 25th of September.