SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                       1747

VETOES

TITLES AND MESSAGES

Senate Bill No. 236. Baltimore County—School Board

AN ACT to add new Section 17D to Article 77 of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1965 Replacement Volume and 1966 Supplement),
title "Public Education", subtitle "Chapter 2. Formation of Boards",
to follow immediately after Section 17C thereof, providing certain
residential requirements for the members of the County Board of
Education in Baltimore County and making provision also for the
gradual implementation of the provisions of this Act.

May 4,1967.

Honorable William S. James
President of the Senate
State House
Annapolis, Maryland

Dear Mr. President:

In accordance with Section 17 of Article II of the Maryland
Constitution, I have vetoed today Senate Bill 236 and am returning
it to you.

This bill would require the appointment of the County Board of
Education of Baltimore County on the basis of residence by senatorial
subdistrict.

The geographical area from which members of the Board may be
selected should be co-extensive with the area served by the Board. To
restrict to a substantially smaller area the selection of each member
might deprive the Board of the services of highly qualified persons
in the County who would not meet the restrictive subdistrict residence
requirements.

Moreover, the required selection of Board members by subdistrict
might well tend to encourage attitudes and actions under which
emphasis is given to the various subdistricts rather than to the welfare
of the County as a whole.

It should be noted, however, that members of the Board histori-
cally have been selected largely from various subdistricts. The
difference is that subdistrict residence is only one factor to be con-
sidered in the selection of well qualified members. Under this bill,
it would become an invariable limitation.

For these reasons, and because this measure might encourage
similar action by other counties tending toward an undesirable State-
wide condition, I am compelled to veto the bill.

Sincerely yours,

(s) Spiro T. Agnew,

Governor.