Maryland State School Board reverses county's firing of black superintendent

Jet, March 4, 2002

The Maryland state school board overturned the firing of Prince George's County School Superintendent Iris T. Metts, ruling that local school boards do not have the power to fire their superintendents.

Immediately after the decision the Maryland House voted 94-29 to strip the county school board of most of its authority to oversee the struggling school system.

The actions temporarily ended one of the state's most troubling school controversies involving a Black woman who formerly served as Delaware's Secretary of Education. The county, bordering the nation's capital, is the state's second-largest in the educational field, and has a large percentage of Black residents.

Since she was named to the post about two and a half years ago, Dr. Metts failed to win overwhelming support and was accused of cutting funds and treating the principals poorly.

Dr. Metts, after she was reinstated to the top job, was urged to improve the state of the county school system and not seek retaliation against those who opposed her.