MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson and Policy Analyst Robin Clark met with the Eastern Shore of Maryland Educational Consortium (ESMEC) on September 20 in Easton, Maryland to discuss best practices among county governments, superintendents, and local school boards.  ESMEC is an organization of nine Eastern Shore school superintendents who provide general administrative services in support of cooperative programs and activities.  Eight of the ESMEC Directors, the ESMEC Executive Director, and a representative of the Public Schools Superintendents Association of Maryland (PSSAM) joined the meeting which included a discussion of the state budget and issues surrounding maintenance of effort.   The wide-ranging conversation was candid and cordial, and focused on ways that counties and school boards might be able to work together to make progress in both operational efforts, but also with educational efforts across their respective memberships.