A vacant seat left by the abrupt resignation of a former Board of Education president, Aaron Poynton, will remain empty after the Harford County Council failed to pass County Executive Bob Cassilly’s appointment of Terri Kocher on Tuesday night.
Council members referred to the many emails they received from constituents requesting the council decline Kocher’s appointment, as well as the lack of a formal application process for the nomination that has been typical for how they have been handled in the past by the county executive.
Kocher’s nomination stems from Poynton’s resignation on Jan. 8 — the morning after the board voted to place Superintendent Sean Bulson on paid administrative leave because of a 911 call he made in New Orleans at a conference in April 2024.
In the call — made during a school-funded trip Bulson, Eric Davis (Deputy Superintendent of Operations) and members of the board of education took to New Orleans for an education conference — Bulson reported that a woman he had invited into his hotel room allegedly stole his wallet, his personal cellphone, an Apple watch, an iPad, and his school-issued cellphone and laptop after he fell asleep around 2 a.m.
Bulson reported the theft using the personal cellphone of Davis. Davis was placed on paid administrative leave on Jan. 11 and remains on leave, pending the outcome of an internal investigation, the school system said Tuesday.
An investigation by the Maryland Office of the Inspector General of Education and an audit by the county found that none of Bulson’s items were stolen and that they were recovered by hotel staff from a safe inside his hotel room.
Cassilly first appointed Kocher to the Board of Education in 2023 at the same time he appointed Poynton and school board vice president Lauren Paige. Kocher did not seek reappointment in June since she has plans to move out of the state. Cassilly reappointed Poynton and Paige to four-year terms and replaced Kocher with Mark Korn.
Council members Alison Imhoff and Jessica Boyle-Tsottles both mentioned Kocher’s attendance at the New Orleans conference, with Imhoff emphasizing that when she asked Kocher if she knew about the alleged theft and its circumstances, Kocher said yes and admitted that she did not report the alleged misconduct.
Imhoff said Kocher admitted that she did not take action when she learned about the theft, which led Imhoff to state that she does not believe Kocher is the best person to be on the board of education.
Boyle-Tsottles said she did not believe there was any reason to rush filling Poynton’s vacancy and that the school system “can’t afford to go backwards.”
“My understanding is that [Kocher] was on the school board and was present and that’s crippled our school system for the past 18 months,” Boyle-Tsottles said. “I can’t support putting someone back on that was part of the problem originally.”
Council Vice President Tony Giangiordano, who has continued to call for Bulson to be terminated or resign, disagreed and said not voting in favor of Kocher was a “disservice.”
“She’s been on the board; she was vetted, she was there for two years, they hadn’t had any problems,” Giangiordano said before responding to Imhoff and Boyle-Tsottles. “If that’s the case, then every one of the board people that was down in New Orleans should all leave and that’s not gonna happen … so you can’t say one person who was there and didn’t have anything to do [with it] should be held accountable.”
During Kocher’s prior term, she pushed for transparency between the school system and the Board of Education regarding what is taught in the classroom and in school programs. Kocher criticized curriculum for classes such as Advanced Placement African American studies and sixth grade social sciences, citing what she said was inappropriate material. She presented similar arguments for removing the book “Flamer” from Harford public school libraries.
Kocher’s nomination gained the support of the local conservative political organization, Moms for Liberty of Harford County, which has been critical of Harford County Public Schools and present at every school board meeting, said they are thankful for what could have been Kocher’s return to the board due to her “calm demeanor and integrity.”
“As a member of the NAACP, these issues are of particular importance to me and directly relate to a broader concern of equity, representation, and educational integrity,” Councilwoman Nolanda Robert said prior to voting against Kocher’s appointment.
Robert noted that Kocher indicated to her that she would apply for the nomination if Cassilly opened an application process.
“In light of that acknowledgement and given the recent challenges facing Harford County Public Schools, I believe it is essential to initiate the transparent, timely interview process to fill this vacancy,” Robert said. “Doing so will promote public trust, fairness and accountability within the governance of our school system.”
In a statement denouncing Kocher’s nomination, the Harford County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said it opposes the reappointment to the board of education because of her demonstration of a “lack of commitment to understanding, advocating for, or affirming the diverse students and families” served by the school system.
The organization urged Cassilly to conduct a “transparent, public search” to fill the vacancy.
“The community deserves a board of education member who prioritizes unity, academic integrity, and the safety and dignity of all students,” the organization said in a news release.
Council President Patrick Vincenti, who is also a Republican candidate for county executive in 2026, said the council had received hundreds of emails from residents asking the council to vote against Kocher’s appointment. He said if Cassilly had opened an application process, he was confident an appointee could have been secured by early February.
The appointment would have needed five affirmative votes to pass but Vincenti, Giangiordano and James Reilly were the only council members to vote in favor of Kocher’s appointment with council members Imhoff, Robert and Boyle-Tsottles casting dissenting votes.
Councilman Jacob Bennett, who is a teacher with Harford County Public Schools that is on administrative leave for an unknown reason, abstained from the vote.
As of Tuesday night, it is unclear if an application process will be held for the vacancy, or if Cassilly will nominate another candidate for council approval.
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