Board votes not to renew superintendents contract and approves separation agreement

The Harford County Board of Education on Feb. 9 moved not to renew Superintendent Sean Balsons contract and then approved a separation agreement under a unilateral-termination provision in his employment contract.

During new business, the board president read a motion: "I move that the Board of Education not renew the superintendent's contract upon its expiration of 30 June 20 26." After the motion carried, the board read a separate motion, drawn from a closed-session action, authorizing the board under section 10B of the superintendent's employment contract to enter into a separation agreement and to pursue unilateral termination. The chair said the separation agreement motion passed with a 6-3 vote.

Board members then had the opportunity to briefly state how they voted. One member said she voted no to paying the superintendent through the remainder of his contract and that she believed the board should be held accountable for its actions. President Page explained she voted yes because the state superintendent has final authority to terminate for cause and pursuing a cause-based termination would be costly and disruptive; she said the unilateral termination path and separation agreement "minimizes unintended consequences" and allowed the district to move forward.

The motion references contractual authority: the text read aloud invoked "section 10 B of the superintendent's employment contract" and directed legal counsel to carry out actions to effectuate separation and ensure compliance with applicable law.

The board also announced a public budget input session and the next board meeting dates before adjourning. The superintendent's contract was described in the motion as expiring June 30, 2026.