Delegate Eric Luedtke blocks on Twitter, but "Legislator files open meetings complaint against Maryland State Board of Education for private vote on superintendent raise"

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Legislator files open meetings complaint against Maryland State Board of Education for private vote on superintendent raise

A state delegate says the Maryland State Board of Education violated open meetings law when it failed to give the public notice that it was meeting in private in June to vote on the superintendent’s contract and pay raise, according to a complaint filed by the lawmaker.

Del. Eric Luedtke, a Democrat representing Montgomery County, has filed a complaint with the state board that oversees Open Meetings Act compliance, saying the board has repeatedly violated the act by failing to tell the public the subject of closed door meetings.

He particularly focused on the awarding of a new contract to Karen Salmon, who had held the job for four years, and recently got another one year contract that pays her $275,000, a $40,000 or 17 percent raise.

“The board’s handling of this situation was entirely inappropriate,” Luedtke said. “Leave aside how grotesque it is to increase the salary of the superintendent when Marylanders are losing their homes and school systems are in hiring freezes, it’s clear that all of these discussions were intentionally hidden from the public.”..

https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-maryland-school-board-complaint-20200824-yyo3q7trafgmnjf2qfx6xwgfoi-story.html