WASHINGTON 鈥� Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Comptroller Peter Franchot lashed out Friday at critics of a new executive order preventing school systems from beginning their academic year before Labor Day. But one powerful lawmaker said the governor, through his executive order, is picking an unnecessary fight.
Maryland Senate President Mike Miller said Governor Larry Hogan didn鈥檛 have to do an end around the legislature to change the school calendar.
鈥淭he general assembly didn鈥檛 push back on it,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲e could have gotten it passed if the governor had had his act together.鈥�
A bill mandating the change stalled in Annapolis even after a state task force recommended the change. At an event Friday in Bethesda, Hogan ripped lawmakers and education leaders who were upset by his executive order, which has already been revised once to close loopholes in his original order.
鈥淭his is one of the most ridiculous things,鈥� said Hogan. 鈥淭here really is almost no controversy.”
He said “there鈥檚 a handful of vocal people” making a mistake.
鈥淎s far as I鈥檓 concerned, it鈥檚 not controversial,” he said. “It鈥檚 nonsense.鈥�
But Miller took umbrage with the governor鈥檚 tone, telling 草莓传媒 in a one-on-one interview Friday afternoon that the governor could have done things in a more inclusive way.
鈥淭he votes came up in front of the committee, and two of the governor鈥檚 votes weren鈥檛 there. Two Republicans. And [Comptroller Peter] Franchot鈥檚 henchman, [Senator Craig] Zucker wasn鈥檛 there either. So the three votes that we needed to pass the bill out of the committee weren鈥檛 there, two were the governor鈥檚 and one was Franchot鈥檚.
鈥淭hese guys are big BS鈥檈rs, I mean big BS鈥檈rs,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very unfortunate.”
Hogan’s heavy-handedness in dealing with the issue was unnecessary, Miller聽said.
“You work with the educators, you work with the superintendents at schools, you work with the county councils, find out what鈥檚 worked for them, as well as the people of Ocean City, and both sides declare victory,” he said. “No heavy-handedness.”
鈥淚n fact, the governor鈥檚 Republican Board of Education said no, they don鈥檛 like it because they like the discretion, and he found that they were going to go off the tracks and go the other way, so guess what? He came out with a second thing that said no, you don鈥檛 give anybody waivers, this is my way or the highway,” Miller said. “So unfortunately, that鈥檚 kind of the way things are.鈥�
A spokesman for Governor Hogan, Doug Mayer, responded Friday afternoon.
鈥淕ov. Hogan serves the people of Maryland and, in the end, has very little concern or patience with the grumblings of grouchy bureaucrats and out-of-touch politicians who refuse to do what鈥檚 best for students and families,” Mayer told 草莓传媒.
Despite all the hard feelings, Miller conceded that at this point, there are no plans for the legislature to overturn the governor鈥檚 order.
鈥淚n order to have it changed, you need to have a body of public opinion behind it,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淢ore than 70 percent of the people prefer it. The educators are saying it makes our jobs more difficult, but when we have more than 70 percent of the people [who] want something, a law’s going to stand.
鈥淯nless somebody files suit and says what the governor did is unconstitutional, I don鈥檛 anticipate any change.鈥�
