June 8, 2001
 
 At the recent work session of the Allegany County School Board, Dr. William AuMiller, superintendent, gave the elected board an update of progress being made on a Request for Proposal (RFP) on a facilities use study being funded through the Maryland State Department of Education.
 
 Dr. AuMiller and the elected board determined that evaulating our existng schools against set educational criteria would help ensure the best education possible for every Allegany County student.
 
 The study to accomplish this is to be conducted by consultants from outside the school system at the request of the Allegany County Delegation, whose members - or at least one of whose members - insisted that such a study conducted by consultants would help the Delegation get additional state funding for the school system.
 
 That’s all well and good, especially since we did get additional moneys this year, but this week Dr. AuMiller raised an issue in regard to this RFP that is cause for alarm: Dr. Nancy Grasmick, head of the Maryland Department of Education, said she wants the consultant to provide her and her department with a specific plan for the further consolidation of Allegany County’s schools.
 
 Why would the state care about the specifics of further consolidating our school system? If Dr. Grasmick is so interested in running our system, she should move here and run for the Board. Then she could tell us what to do. But until that happens, she really needs to butt out.
 
 The idea of this consultant giving the state a copy of a consolidation plan is more than a little alarming. What would happen if the elected School Board found the plan inapplicable? Or rejected even part of it? Would the state withhold funding until the county complied? Or would the State Board of Education, to whom consolidation appeals are made, overturn the locally made decision based on the consolidation plan touted by Dr. Grasmick?
 
 Once again, Dr. Grasmick raises the specter of Allegany County losing local control of its school system. Consolidating schools is a LOCAL decision, to be made by locally elected school board members. It is not the job of the state.
 
 So why is the state doing this?
 
 It’s not as though our School Board members haven’t proved that they are perfectly capable of dealing with tough consolidation issues - they absolutely have. And they know which direction the system needs to take in order to continue to better fit our schools to the number of students served.
 
 What’s the point in creating another power struggle with the state of Maryland, as we had last year when Cas Taylor and Dr. Grasmick dangled $1 million in front of the School Board demanding that they NOT consolidate schools?
 
 Will these guys ever learn?
 
 Apparently not.