Gov. Martin O'Malley announced today he has ended his effort to ouster state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick.

O'Malley at a news conference instructed the Democrat-controlled General Assembly not to proceed with legislation to restructure Grasmick's contract so he could remove her.

O'Malley, a Democrat, had made it clear he wanted to remove Grasmick, whom he inherited in his first year as governor, despite a recent study showing Maryland has the fifth-best public school system in the country.

The governor's dissatisfaction with Grasmick is perceived by some people as personal, considering she tried to take over Baltimore's troubled school system when O'Malley was mayor.

The issue is whether O'Malley really wants a state goverment that works together, or didn't have the political clout to remove Grasmick.

— Tom LoBianco, Maryland politics reporter, The Washington Times