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Baltimore County school board candidate, Paul Evitts, has decided to drop out of the race to represent District Three. Mr. Evitts was among eight District Three candidates vying for a seat on the school board dais. Mr. Evitts released a statement to The Baltimore Post regarding his decision to remove himself from the race, which is to support incumbent District Three board member, Kathleen Causey. His letter is published as written.
When I decided to run for a position on the BCPS board of education, it was in the midst of news story after news story highlighting the corruptive practices of Dr. Dance and the same unethical, corruptive practices of the interim superintendent, Ms. White. I, like many of the parents in Baltimore county, was fed up and wanted change. The current board members seemed fine with the status quo, citing what a great asset Ms. White was to the system and how she was a natural choice for the position. The existing board purposely dragged their feet on initiating a search for a new superintendent and, apparently, were fine with a person who, either purposely or unknowingly, violated rules of ethics. Similar rules of ethics that the previous superintendent were ultimately convicted of and has been sentenced to jail for violating. If she purposely violated the rules, then clearly she’s unfit for the position. If she unknowingly violated the rules, the same rules that put BCPS in its current quagmire, then she’s incompetent and not fit to lead the nation’s 25th largest system.
After watching the April 17 BCPS board meeting though, I must admit I had some hope. Four current board members spoke out against Ms. White and her permanent hiring. They were voted down but they still spoke up. One of the strongest voices was board member Kathleen Causey, my opponent for the board position. Her comments nearly identically reflected my own views. Given that the state superintendent, Dr. Salmon, agrees with the dissent and has voiced concern over appointing Ms. White as the permanent superintendent, also gives me hope. Hope that reason and common sense will win out.
There will be an entirely new BCPS board after the upcoming election as, apparently, only two of the existing members are running to keep their seats. Stability was mentioned as a reason for appointing Ms. White but that is not the stability we need. The only stability BCPS has maintained during the past few years is corruption, incompetence, and pay-for-play. In my view, Ms. Causey will offer some stability marked by common-sense and fighting for what’s best for the students and parents of BCPS. Not the administrators, vendors and companies looking to make money which is what we’ve seen thus far.
Therefore, I’ve decided to suspend my campaign efforts and support Ms. Causey. While I feel that I could make a valuable contribution to the board, I feel that it’s in the best interest of the county to have someone with experience to help us through this difficult period.
Respectfully,
Paul M. Evitts
