Eastern Shore school board chair faces ouster for ‘inappropriate and unprofessional conduct’

Somerset County’s school board chair, who has led his conservative board toward divisive policy changes, could be removed from his post after state education leaders took the first steps Thursday in a lengthy process.

The Maryland State Board of Education officials said they found enough evidence of misconduct in office to issue so-called charges against Matthew Lankford, who was elected to Somerset’s board in November 2024 and took office in January 2025. The charges are not criminal.

“The charges stem from multiple requests for removal submitted to the state board, alleging inappropriate and unprofessional conduct during a local board meeting, as well as an ongoing pattern of improper behavior,” said State Board Chair Joshua Michael in a statement following a Thursday meeting where the charges were announced.

Lankford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Somerset Board of Education is disappointed by the decision, but this is just a first step in a long and expensive road ahead,” said Gordana Schifanelli, an attorney for Somerset County’s school board, in a statement.

Ever since Lankford was elected, the statement said, “the same individuals have been filing these removal charges using the same argument.”

Schifanelli said the result would be higher legal fees for Somerset County residents because there “will be a long road ahead to seek justice.”

If the state board were to vote for Lankford’s removal, it would be the first time since 2019 that it’s ousted a member of a local school district’s board. That year, the board voted to remove Wayne Foote in Allegany County for what it deemed misconduct in office. A Cecil County board member, Renee Dixon resigned in April 2025 before the state board made a final decision about whether to remove her. Gov. Wes Moore appointed her replacement.

The Somerset Education Association, representing the president of the teachers union, filed a 90-page complaint in September asking the state school board to remove Lankford, in part over his confrontation with teachers union president Phaedra Spencer, during an August board meeting.

Lankford said she had lied to the public in a Facebook post about whether “Harry Potter” would be allowed in school libraries and asked the superintendent to discipline her.

At the end of the meeting, the union complaint said, Lankford told the public that he “only answers to one person: Jesus Christ,” and told the public that “I don’t really care what you think.”

Seven other individuals in the community, including a parent and a former public information officer for the school system, wrote letters and signed affidavits in support of his removal.

This is the second time Lankford has faced calls for his ouster in the less than two years he has been on the school board. But last fall the state school board decided not to move forward with steps to remove him. They issued a warning, however, saying it found “his ongoing pattern of behavior deeply problematic.”

The state board’s action begins a formal process that gathers information. Lankford can request a hearing before the Office of Administrative Hearings, a state agency that provides independent review of department actions.

That office would make a recommendation on whether to remove Lankford, and the state school board would then vote on it.

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