DEPARTMENT OF Karen B. Salmon, State Superintendent of Schools DUCATION April 27, 2018 Edward J. Gillies, Esquire Chair, Board of Education of Baltimore County 6901 Charles Street Towson, Maryland 21204?3711 Dear Mr. Gillies: On April 25, 2018, on behalf of the Baltimore County Board of Education, you asked that I approve the appointment of Dr. Verletta White as Superintendent effective July 1, 2018. Ihave considered the request in light of several factors that are of great concern to me. First, is the ethics violation related to Dr. White?s failure to disclose outside income she received from consulting work. It is my understanding that the Ethics Panel also found that she used the prestige of her of?ce in ways that violated ethics law. I consider an ethics violation to he a serious breach of trust with the public in general and with the education in particular. That breach of trust causes me to pause as I consider whether to approve this appointment. In addition, I and the State Board have advocated for an expanded audit of the Baltimore Public School procurement process. It is unclear to me whether that audit is in process and whether the scope of the audit has been expanded. It is clear, however, that the audit has not yet been completed. I believe that the results of the audit will provide critical facts for me to consider in deciding whether to approve Dr. White as permanent superintendent. With those concerns in mind, pursuant to my authority under Maryland Education Article ?7~201, I decline to approve Dr. White as permanent superintendent at this time. Instead, if the Board requests such appointment, I would approve a second interim appointment for Dr. White, or for a different interim superintendent. That will allow suf?cient time for completion of the audit and for full disclosure of the results. Best Regards, Karen B. Salmon, State Superintendent of Schools 200 West Baltimore Street - Baitimore, MD 21201 - 410-767?0100 - 410?333-6442 MarylandPublicSchoots.org