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have put your finger at present on the very
thing that troubles us.
There have been some states in the union
where single individuals have operated the
entire school system, the educational sys-
tem. Maryland is rich because this has not
happened, and this is the very thing we
want to make certain does not happen. But
as for the number of members on the board,
this would not trouble us.
THE CHAIRMAN: I think that the an-
swer you gave to Delegate Morgan's ques-
tion then is yes?
DELEGATE BARD: That is correct.
THE CHAIRMAN : Delegate Morgan.
DELEGATE MORGAN: Then you do in-
tend by this amendment to freeze the organ-
ization of the school system the way it is
now to be governed by a board?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Bard.
DELEGATE BARD: Delegate Morgan,
I think the word "freeze" has a different
connotation for me than this does for you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Morgan.
DELEGATE MORGAN: I wish you
would tell me what kind of connotation it
has for you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Bard.
DELEGATE BARD: For me, Delegate
Morgan, the word "freeze" is to take a
situation in a state in which it is exactly
as it is and keep it within that state. Mary-
land's educational school system has never
been frozen.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Morgan.
DELEGATE BARD: It has been frigid
at times.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Morgan.
DELEGATE MORGAN: You would pre-
vent the legislature at any future time
from changing the present organization of
the Board, plus the superintendent under
the board?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Bard.
DELEGATE BARD: This is not correct.
What we are saying here is that we would
prevent the legislature from setting up one
individual, as is made clear, for other prin-
cipal departments.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Morgan, I
think what Delegate Bard is saying is, to
adopt your language, he would freeze the
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present system to the extent that it re-
quires a board at the head of the public
school system. He would not freeze it to
the extent that the legislature could not
change the composition of the board.
Delegate Bard.
DELEGATE BARD: That is correct.
THE CHAIRMAN: I am sorry, Delegate
Morgan.
DELEGATE MORGAN: Delegate Bard,
I think we understand one another.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Fornos.
DELEGATE FORNOS: Mr. Chairman,
as a parliamentary inquiry, or perhaps an
advisory opinion, I am soliciting from
Chair; all that the minority wants to have
put to a test vote really is that the board
system shall be kept intact for the educa-
tional system, and that principal depart-
ments other than educational systems shall
be headed by single executives.
Is there not some way that we can have
a test vote?
THE CHAIRMAN : I do not know which
group you refer to now, when you say the
minority. That is not the intention of Dele-
gate Maurer.
Delegate James.
DELEGATE JAMES: May we take a
vote?
THE CHAIRMAN: May the Chair ex-
plain at least what it thinks the situation
is and how we can quickly move to a vote
and decide the issue?
At the present time, the amendment to
the amendment, if adopted, under the state-
ments as to the intended meaning of the
language, would have the effect of provid-
ing that the educational institutions, the
state public school system and the boards
of higher education, institutions of higher
education, should be headed by boards and
the legislature would have no right to
change it, but that as to other principal de-
partments, they would be headed by a
single executive, unless the legislature pro-
vided otherwise.
If you desire to have the Board of Edu-
cation, or the head of the department of
education freed of any control by the legis-
lature, but desire the legislature to have
control to decide whether other principal
departments should be headed by a single
executive or by a board, you would vote for
the amendment to the amendment, and
then vote for the amendment as amended.
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