Once again some outsiders are trying to stir up controversy in Ocean Pines. Once again it is about placing signs on lots within the HOA subdivision. This time around it is related to signs saying "I support public school education." Such signs are a violation of the OPA Declaration of Restrictions.

Someone using the name Kate Hulme is posting to Facebook and urging association members to get involved in seeking permission to place these signs on their property at an upcoming  Architectural Review Committee (ARC) meeting - aka Environmental Control Committee (ECC).

Hulme wrote: "If you have received a violation for displaying this sign, please know we are working to understand what is needed in order to allow these to be displayed. We submitted the paperwork we believed was needed and are hoping for further clarification at the ARC meeting on Tuesday April 16th. We ask if you would like to speak to support your ability to display this yard sign on your property, that you please attend the ARC Committee meeting on April 16th at 1pm for the public comment section."

Normally reliable sources say Hulme is not a property owner in Ocean Pines. If so, her references to "we" are misleading at best.

First, it is important to understand the sign restrictions in Ocean Pines. The language in the Declaration of Restrictions is clear. No signs may be placed on lots without the permission of the ARC/ECC.

That said, Ocean Pines never enforces the sign rule regarding OPA Board of Directors candidates' signs on lots in Ocean Pines. The same restriction that applies to the school support signs applies to OPA board candidate signs. OPA inspectors do not issue violations for unpermitted board candidate signs. Thus there exists an obvious double standard that should be addressed by the OPA Board of Directors.

Any signs on Ocean Pines residential lots without a permit, including board candidate signs, "may be removed by an authorized agent of the Association" according to the ARC Guidelines.

ARC Guidelines say: "Political signs supporting the election of a State or National candidate, or for the vote of a referendum, do not require ARC approval in writing before posting." This is essentially based on Supreme Court rulings and Maryland law, but note that none of the allowed "political" signs apply to OPA elections or referendums. OPA is a corporation.

The school support signs are politically motivated. The Worcester County Commissioners and the Board of Education are involved in, for lack of a better description, a disagreement that surfaced last year over the County Commissioners' requests for detailed information about the Board of Education's budget. However, relations between the County Commissioners and the Board of Education have improved somewhat from last year.

Some Worcester residents see such information requests as somehow damaging to the school system. Others see the Commissioners as addressing their responsibility to make sure all funding requests for taxpayer dollars are justified.

The State of Maryland mandates certain minimum funding for County school systems. For Worcester, it is currently around $100 million. Last year the Worcester County Commissioners approved a Board of Education budget of around $100 million. This year the Board of Education is requesting a nearly $9 million increase. The Board of Education also is expected to receive direct state aid of about $25 million.

Vince Tolbert,  the school system’s chief financial officer, recently told the Comissioners that the bulk of the school system’s spending is related to people. Over the last two years, the Board of Education added 108 or so new employee positions while the school enrollment numbers declined, according to one source. Thirty-five positions were added in the last six months.

Returning to the issue of signs in Ocean Pines supporting public schools, the overwhelming majority of lot owners surely support public school education. Do we need signs supporting motherhood and apple pie? On the other hand, an overwhelming majority may not support a blank-check policy without a proper and careful review of a fully documented and transparent school board budget request by the elected Worcester County Commissioners responsible for managing taxpayer dollars.

These two independent bodies need to work together for the benefit of all Worcester County residents.

What is certainly not needed is some politically motivated sign campaign within Ocean Pines in violation of the Declaration of Restrictions.