UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — The embattled chairwoman of the Prince George's County Board of Education vows to stay in office and fight charges against her, despite a demand for her resignation by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
Juanita Miller gave her response in a video released by the board of education.
"There is a system in place which will hopefully dispense with the potential for political machinations to affect the removal process for the board of education," Miller said in the video statement.
"The process should not be allowed to be unduly manipulated."
The call for Miller's resignation came after the Maryland State Board of Education charged her with "misconduct in office, willful neglect of duty and incompetence," according to a letter issued May 31.
The state board accuses Miller of failing to sign a contract to hire legal counsel for the board despite a majority vote to move forward. Miller instead hired a different law firm, according to the state board's letter.
Miller is also accused of withholding seven ethics complaints from the board for its consideration, the letter says.
The state board removal process calls for a hearing by an administrative law judge and an appeals process.
Alsobrooks, who appointed Miller, said the chairwoman should resign.
"I believe that now is the time to start fresh with a clean slate," Alsobrooks wrote to Miller in a letter demanding Miller's resignation.
The letter comes after a task force to study the governance structure of the school system reccomended a return to an all-elected board. The current board is a hybrid made up of nine elected members and four appointees, which include the chair and vice chair. The result as been factions that are frequently gridlocked in opposition to each other, the task force found.
The Prince George's County General Assembly Delegation backed legislation to return to an all-elected board by 2024. The legislation also allows for the board to begin selecting its own chair and vice chair in December of this year.