Brianna January, Author at Conduit Street

Board of Public Works: Jan 3 Meeting Agenda

The Board of Public Works — a three-member panel including Governor Wes Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman, and State Treasurer Dereck Davis — reviews projects, contracts, and expenditure plans for state agencies, many of which affect county governments. The State Board of Public Works (BPW) typically convenes on alternating Wednesdays in the Governor’s Reception Room on the 2nd floor of the State House in Annapolis, and meetings are open to the public. They are also live-streamed on…

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January 2, 2024

Business Affairs / County News / Economic Development / Employee Benefits and Relations / Feature / Human Resources / Labor

Maryland Starts the New Year With a $15 Minimum Wage

Maryland's minimum wage increased to $15 an hour starting January 1, 2024. In 1019, the Maryland General Assembly took a serious look at the State's minimum wage law and passed House Bill 166/Senate Bill 280 (Chs. 10 and 11), legislation to phase in an increase in the State minimum wage to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2025, with a longer phase-in for employers with 14 or fewer employees. While that law planned for Maryland…

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January 2, 2024

Business Affairs / Coronavirus / County News / Economic Development / Employee Benefits and Relations / Feature / Human Resources / Labor / Parks and Recreation / Tourism

Dependency on Recreation Industry Led Rural Counties to Best Post-Pandemic Job Recovery

A new study shows that rural counties with a strong recreation industry across the country were more likely to regain the jobs they lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new analysis from The Daily Yonder, a rural media outlet, shows that while rural counties have not fully recovered jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, those with strong recreational industry presence were more likely to regain jobs. The recreation industry includes travel and tourism, sports, arts…

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January 2, 2024

2024 MACo Issue Previews / Coronavirus / County News / Education / Intergovernmental Relations / Winter Series

2024 Issue Preview: Learning Loss and Educational Recovery

With the 2024 Legislative Session rapidly approaching, MACo is profiling some major issues that stand to gather attention in the General Assembly. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (“The Blueprint”) sets ambitious goals to transform Maryland's public education system and invests billions in state and county funding into schools. However, pandemic-related learning loss is threatening Maryland's progress toward those goals. The DLS Issue Papers provide a snapshot of the current state of educational achievement and how…

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December 28, 2023

2024 MACo Issue Previews / County Budgets / County News / Education / Intergovernmental Relations / Winter Series

2024 Issue Preview: Funding the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future

With the 2024 Legislative Session rapidly approaching, MACo is profiling some major issues that stand to gather attention in the General Assembly. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (“The Blueprint”) sets ambitious goals to transform Maryland's public education system and invests billions in state and county funding into schools. In prior legislative sessions, the Maryland General Assembly has made programmatic and technical tweaks to the landmark reform law. The DLS Issue Papers provide a snapshot of…

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December 27, 2023

2024 MACo Issue Previews / Coronavirus / County News / Education / Intergovernmental Relations / Winter Series

2024 Issue Preview: Child Care and Expanding Pre-k

With the 2024 Legislative Session rapidly approaching, MACo is profiling some major issues that stand to gather attention in the General Assembly. The Blueprint for Maryland's Future ("The Blueprint") sets ambitious goals for universal pre-K for all three and four-year-olds in Maryland, utilizing private child care networks to meet those goals. In prior legislative sessions, the Maryland General Assembly laid the framework for universal pre-K and responded to Maryland's threatened post-pandemic child care industry. The…

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December 26, 2023

County News / Education

The74 Profiled Interim Superintendent Wright and the Work Ahead of Her

Education policy and news site The74 recently profiled Maryland's interim State Superintendent, Carey Wright, and outlined the work ahead of her. A December 19 article on education analysis and news website The74 introduces readers to Maryland's interim State Superintendent, Dr. Carey Wright, her work in Mississippi, and what she's up against in Maryland. The Maryland State Board of Education voted unanimously on October 4 to appoint Dr. Carey Wright as the interim State Superintendent of…

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December 21, 2023

County Budgets / County News / Economic Development / Education / NACo and Federal Issues / Winter Conference

Elrich Featured on “The Lobby” Podcast

Center Maryland's podcast "The Lobby" featured Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich as its guest in its latest episode, with reflections on the county's priorities and progress. County Executive Elrich joined episode 65 of Center Maryland's "The Lobby" podcast live from the 2023 MACo Winter Conference. County Executive Elrich talked about Montgomery County's economic development, policy agenda, and education funding. Elrich walked through the county's recent tax increases to pay for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future and…

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December 20, 2023

County News / Education / Feature

As Public School Enrollment Drops, Charter School Enrollment Climbs

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools finds that charter school enrollment increased nine percent from 2019 to 2023. According to new analysis from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, during the COVID-19 pandemic, charter school enrollment increased 9 percent. From 2019 to 2023, charter schools have enrolled over 300,000 new students nationwide. This comes as traditional public school enrollment declines concerningly around the country -- losing 1.5 million students over that same time period,…

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December 19, 2023

County News / Education / Feature

Blueprint Funding, Implementation Top-of-Mind Ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session

Reporting from The Daily Record highlights counties' ongoing challenges to fund the Blueprint and other implementation concerns. Maryland's 24 counties continue to express concerns about funding and implementing the Blueprint for Maryland's Future ("The Blueprint"), catching the attention of legislators and The Daily Record. A December 18 article from the local media outlet lays the issue out in plain terms: "Schools blueprint funding seen as top education issue before Md. legislature." The article opens: Helping…

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December 18, 2023