Neuters Local Elected School Boards Decision Making
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When State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright was appointed in 2023, there was hope that finally common sense and respect for local control was regaining a foothold in the schools. After all, Wright’s sweet, grandmotherly demeanor led many to believe that she would never do ANYTHING to wrest control from local school boards.
She replaced State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury who had shown himself to be a bombastic, rude, power greedy man who was willing to go to any lengths to maintain his total control of Maryland’s schools. Here is an article about Choudhury from 2023:
The Man Who Would Rule Maryland Education – Radio Free Oxford
Choudhury was so bad that even Democrats and the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (normally a rubber stamp organization) wanted him gone.
So, when Carey Wright was appointed Superintendent, many thought that things would get better. As we wrote in January of 2024, “One look at her and you think that Cary is a sweet old lady much like your third-grade teacher. Soft spoken and respectful, she comes across as someone who has a level head and only the best interests of Maryland students at heart.”
Oops. That was wrong. Since the beginning of her tenure, Wright has shown that she has earned her nickname of “Grandma Choudhury.” First, she got the Maryland State Board of Education to issue a letter demanding counties to use her preferred curriculum for reading, SCIENCE OF READING.
Then she directed Maryland Schools systems NOT to work with ICE.
Support and Resources for Immigration Enforcement in Maryland Schools
She then wrote a letter to local districts telling them to disregard the Department of Education guidance on DEI.
Now, in what is the most flagrant abuse of power, on June 25, Superintendent Carey Wright submitted an emergency regulation change to COMAR. Previously, regulations allowed the State Superintendent to stay (pause) a local school board’s action for up to 60 days, no more. That wasn’t enough for Wright. She wanted an unlimited amount of time. So, she went to legislators and started the process to change COMAR.
We believe this was done to protect a political ally, who happens to be the recently fired Superintendent of the Somerset County Public Schools, Dr. Ava Tasker-Mitchell. Mitchell was hired in 2024 but was recently fired for cause by the elected school board of Somerset County. Tasker-Mitchell apparently disagreed with board decisions which could have made her insubordinate. Shortly after she was fired, she was mysteriously reinstated:
UPDATE: Somerset Co. Public Schools supt. reinstated after unexpected termination – 47abc
The reinstatement seemed to have something to do with the Somerset County Education Association (i.e. teachers union) who appeared to be strong supporters of the fired superintendent. From the Association’s President Randi Merritt:
“We don’t know why she was terminated. What I do know is that the board has not gotten along with the superintendent for the entire school year, they have their own agenda, they have what they want to do with the school system,” said Merritt. “They’re not listening to her, they don’t want to do anything that she wants to do.”
Merritt seems to forget that Superintendents are the employees of the school boards in their districts and that they are elected officials who are elected because of their “own agendas.” It’s also somewhat strange that the teachers union was so cozy with school district administration.
It is highly unusual (if it was ever done at all) for a State Superintendent to step into one of these personnel issues in a local district. Local school board members believe Wright’s actions were possibly part of targeting of the system who had recently taken stances supporting Trump’s executive orders on DEI and Title IX in public schools.
She sent this request:
The new regulation gives Wright unlimited time to keep that stay in place if the decision is under appeal.
That’s a major shift in power.
- Currently, appeals must be filed within 30 days.
- The original 60-day limit was in place since 1963 and it worked.
- The Superintendent did not disclose a clear reason for the change in her application or to the State Board. She did, however, say it was because of an “emergency.” No emergency has been identified.
- We have reason to believe it was done to protect a political ally (Tasker-Mitchell) in a local school system.
To pass the rule, it was sent to the AELR Committee (a Maryland joint legislative committee that reviews emergency regulations). By law, the committee must wait 10 days to allow members to request a public hearing—but there’s evidence AELR members were not properly notified in time. Instead, they were polled by email and the rule went into effect July 23.
Why It Matters
If she can expand her authority this easily, what’s stopping her next time?
This regulation now lets the State Superintendent indefinitely block a local board’s decision just by citing a pending appeal.
It sets a dangerous precedent: If this was so important, why wasn’t it done through the normal public process?
We received word on Saturday that the Somerset County Board of Education received a letter from Dr. Wright that has extended the stay on Tasker-Mitchell’s firing to 180 days or six months. The county had begun looking for a replacement for Tasker-Mitchell already.
Some of the politicians on the AELR Committee initially tried to appeal the vote to change Comar. One of them, Senator Johnny Mautz, shared a letter he and Delegate Susan McComas received on the matter: (Mautz voted NO on the matter as did Senator Mike McKay; Delegate Jason Buckel voted for the change; Delegate McComas, Delegate Jay Jacobs and Senator Chris West did NOT vote) The measure “passed” 11-2. Buckel is the House Minority Leader.
Imagine how this change in COMAR will impact local school districts. If every appeal of a local school board’s decision can go to the State Superintendent where she will impose a stay indefinitely, there is really no point to having local elected boards at all. But maybe that is the point.
This is a trend that has existed in Maryland for a while now. As local districts are electing more conservative school board members, the unions and Democrats are panicking and trying to exert their control in any way possible.
We have the BLUEPRINT for MARYLAND’S FUTURE being designed and managed by TWO unelected bureaucratic bodies, the Accountability and Implementation Board and the State Board of Education. Local districts are left to implement and fund the mandates in the Blueprint regardless of whether they can afford them OR whether or not they will work to improve education in their district. If they don’t they could have State funding withheld.
And now we have another unelected bureaucrat, the State Superintendent of Schools, Carey Wright, imposing her will as well.
Just another day in the People’s Republic of Maryland.
NOTE: We have sent a letter to the Chairs of the AELR Committee asking that they reconsider their decision. Here is their response:
From Mary Washington’s Office
Thank you for your message and for sharing your concerns regarding Emergency Regulation 25-157.
We appreciate your engagement in the regulatory process. The regulation was adopted in accordance with the procedures outlined in the State Government Article and, as of July 23, 2025, is in effect for a period of up to 180 days.
Please note that an identical proposed regulation will be published in the Maryland Register on August 8, 2025. This will initiate a 30-day public comment period, providing an opportunity for additional input and transparency before final action is taken by the State Board of Education.
All the best,
Cara Matteson
Cara Matteson, MSW
Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Mary L. Washington, District 43
James Senate Office Building
11 Bladen Street, Room 104
Annapolis, MD 21401
410.841.3145
Maryland Superintendent: Just Another Feckless Ideologue? – The Easton Gazette
Maryland Continues To Demolish Local School Board Control – The Easton Gazette
Somerset Superintendent Conspiring to Close Deal Island Elementary Caught on Hot Mic
Thanks to the Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition for Information for this Article
The post Maryland Public School Bureaucracy Usurps Local Control appeared first on The Easton Gazette.
-Jan Greenhawk
