Somerset Board of Education Breaks the Glass Ceiling and Provides the Public with Full Transparency

Somerset's September Board of Education meeting was another eye-opener. The meeting began with uplifting and inspiring student presentations. Two student Board members, under Ms. Holland’s professional guidance, presented their work using PowerPoint presentations while dressed in professional business attire. They brought elegance, confidence, and knowledge to the Board and the public.

The Somerset County school system has battled leadership problems for the past 10 years, problems that were reflected in poor outcomes for students and some of the lowest proficiency rates in the state. Now, the direction appears to be changing.

Superintendent Bromwell’s knowledge, experience, leadership, and creativity appear to be exactly what this school system needs. His transformation of the boardroom, the addition of security guards, and the implementation of additional safety equipment were just the beginning.

The contrast between last year’s confrontational behavior by activists in the boardroom and this year’s emphasis on professionalism, decorum, and dedication to student success demonstrates what many see as the impact of Matt Lankford’s leadership and his commitment to addressing long-standing problems within Somerset County Public Schools.

Superintendent Bromwell’s out-of-the-box thinking was also evident in his outreach to the UMES Athletics Department. Partnering with top athletes to inspire students at Washington High School was extraordinary. High-fives, cheers, and encouragement promoting sports, healthy lifestyles, and academic achievement provided students with positive examples and role models.

On the other side, Lankford’s emphasis on uplifting and inspiring literature, with encouraging messages and stories of perseverance and strength, stands in stark contrast to what critics characterize as a message of discouragement and victimhood promoted by some activists and members of the teachers’ union.

The frustration among some attendees was noticeable as they sat in the back of the room, even after the superintendent announced that the Board had rewarded teachers with what was described at the meeting as the highest raises in Maryland, while complying with the requirements of the Maryland Blueprint for Education.

Somerset County’s competitive salaries and quality of life on the Eastern Shore could help make the county an attractive place to recruit and retain quality teachers and administrators.

It is also difficult to overlook Matt Lankford’s preparation for each Board meeting. His questions are detailed and, at times, uncomfortable, but they demonstrate a determination to address problems that have accumulated over decades. Changing the direction of a school system with longstanding challenges is not necessarily going to be painless.

Another important lesson from last night’s meeting came from the surprise but firm questioning of the Board’s legal counsel by Board member Marybeth Bozman.

To everyone’s surprise, Ms. Bozman called the Board’s counsel to the podium and asked questions that were clearly on her mind. Her questions addressed what she described as misinformation circulating on social media and claims made by some political candidates and activists over the past year about the Board, its members, and its actions.

The Board’s attorney explained that the approximately $300,000 legal budget is not her personal fee. Rather, she explained that the amount covers the cost of numerous attorneys and legal matters for the district, including situations in which individual Board members may require representation when they are sued in their individual capacities for actions taken in their roles as Board members.

Ms. Schifanelli also explained her professional background, including that she served as a professor at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis for seven years. She further discussed her partner, Marc Schifanelli, and his experience as an attorney and former elected member of a Maryland county Board of Education.

That experience, she explained, provides a perspective from both sides of the education system: serving as a Board member and President of the Queen Anne’s County Board of Education during the COVID years, as well as representing a Board as legal counsel.

Schifanelli Law has more than 30 years of combined experience practicing law in Maryland.

The meeting also addressed claims that Schifanelli Law lacks experience in education law. According to the explanation provided at the meeting, those claims are inaccurate. The discussion also addressed the concerns and challenges surrounding the Somerset County Board of Education and the ability of its prior counsel to handle the issues facing the Board when the new attorneys took over in February 2025.

We also learned that the Somerset Education Association (SEA) has filed another retaliation petition against Chairman Lankford with the Maryland State Department of Education and that Somerset County taxpayers are responsible for the cost of legal representation for Mr. Lankford before the Maryland State Board of Education. Mr. Mark Tilghman, Esq., is representing Mr. Lankford in that matter.

Somerset County Board of Education candidate Samantha Windsor also spoke during the meeting, expressing gratitude to the current Board. She thanked the members for stepping up for her and her children when her family needed customized educational solutions for her special needs child.

Somerset County Public Schools is becoming a very different place. One year after replacing the superintendent, the changes are becoming increasingly visible to students, parents, teachers, and members of the public.

The Board is holding public meetings, publishing agendas and meeting information, addressing difficult questions in public, and putting greater emphasis on student achievement, safety, professionalism, and accountability. The district’s website continues to provide public access to meeting notices, agendas, livestreams, and Board documents.

For those who have watched Somerset County Public Schools struggle for years, the changes are impossible to ignore.

The direction has changed, and the public is watching.

Fellows & Editors

September 17, 2026. Copyright DelmarvaPTC.org 

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