Don’t give Verletta White a free pass

School board candidate Pete Fitzpatrick excuses Verletta White, Baltimore County’s acting superintendent, for her “error in judgment” when filling out her disclosure forms concerning accepting paid outside employment while working full time by Baltimore County because a “review panel found that the forms could have been confusing” (“County school board should hire Verletta White without delay,” April 5).

If such an educated and high-level person found them confusing, how could an average person fill the forms out properly? On the other hand, if Ms. White couldn’t get through the disclosure forms, should she be considered for the position of permanent superintendent?

I don’t think so. “Let’s get this done” just doesn’t cut it for choosing someone for Baltimore County’s top education job to succeed the infamous Dallas Dance who was fired for the very same “error in judgment” in not reporting outside pay.

Another Robert Dubel, whom Mr. Fitzpatrick fondly remembers from his own school years, would indeed be excellent. And the way to find him or her is exactly to do another national search, which Mr. Fitzpatrick decries because Ms. White “came up in this system.” Perhaps, at the end, Ms. White would indeed be found to be the best available person for the job, but at least we would know that she wasn’t hired just because “Let’s get this done” was the modus operandi.