BCPS board member files FOIA prior to voting on Dance’s contract

Ann Miller

Ann Miller, a controversial Hogan-appointed Baltimore County school board member, has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get data about Baltimore County Public Schools’ performance in advance of the vote on whether to renew Superintendent Dallas Dance’s contract.

According to Liz Bowie’s article in The Baltimore Sun:

Miller said she took the unusual step of filing the request under the Freedom of Information Act because the school system has failed to provide her the information in a timely manner. She said she had made requests beginning in September and that the school district has not provided any answers.

Miller, who was appointed to the board last fall by Gov. Larry Hogan, said the board is will vote on the superintendent’s contract and the proposed budget on Feb. 2. She requested the information be provided by January 29. (Read the Sun’s full story here.) 

Miller’s letter states, “Along with several members of the Baltimore County Board of Education, I have requested from the BCPS system, in multiple requests since September 2015, data and information regarding outcomes for our school system and other information in order to make informed decisions on the operating budget, the possible renewal of the superintendent’s employment contract and any negotiations of that contract. However, the information I received was inadequate and did not provide complete or, in most cases, ANY answer to my requests. My requests were met with resistance, were ignored, perpetually delayed, or refused by both the Board leadership and school system staff.” (Read her full request here.)

Gov. Larry Hogan’s appointment of Miller, who homeschools one of her children, to the board last year raised concerns among some because of her stand on a variety of issues. In another article, Liz Bowie reported that Miller “has written extensively about her opposition to in-state college tuition for students who are in the country without legal documentation, same-sex marriage, transgender rights and the Common Core educational standards. She also has called on parents to opt out of state testing for their children.” (Read the full article here.)

Miller is the board member who asked Dance at a board meeting last week whether he was planning to ask for portable air conditioning (window units) for BCPS schools that lack AC. Dance declined to comment. (Read that story here.)