School Construction “Game Changer” Draws a Crowd
Bill Hearing / Education / MACo Testimony / School Construction and Capital Budgets
School Construction “Game Changer” Draws a Crowd

Legislative leadership and a panoply of county officials decorated the hallways and testimony table in Annapolis on January 23, as House Bill 1 – the Speaker’s “Built to Learn Act” – was heard in the Appropriations Committee. The far-reaching bill leverages casino revenues for revenue bonds, providing a short-term infusion of over $2 billion to school construction projects. County leaders voiced their support – Strong State Funding for School Construction has been a recurring MACo…

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January 24, 2020
Charles County to Host Citizens Academy this Spring
County Government and Structure / County News / Education / News You Can Use
Charles County to Host Citizens Academy this Spring

Charles County Government will host a Citizens Academy beginning Thursday, March 12, 2020. The 8-week program will provide residents with an opportunity to gain exposure and learn about Charles County Government through first-hand experience with a wide range of government functions, services, activities and issues. From Charles County Maryland's website: Classes will take place each Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. and two Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at various locations throughout the…

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January 23, 2020
Maryland Ranks #2 in Most Educated State List
County News / Education
Maryland Ranks #2 in Most Educated State List

A new study ranks Maryland as the second most educated state in the country, right behind Massachusetts. Maryland was also ranked second for "highest percentage of graduate- or professional-degree holders." In the study, WalletHub examined the key factors of a well-educated population and compared all 50 states across 18 metrics. From Fox 45 News: The ranking is based on two factors: "educational attainment" and "quality of education." Maryland was ranked third and second in those,…

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January 23, 2020
Delegate Floats Idea: School Taxes in Maryland?
Education / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Taxes and Revenues
Delegate Floats Idea: School Taxes in Maryland?

During a House Ways and Means briefing, a leadership Delegate asked, and mused, about the potential to grant local Boards of Education independent taxing authority. January 20 was "Local Government Day" in the House Ways and Means Committee - featuring a technical but informative set of presentations by legislative staff, MACo, and the Maryland Municipal League. See Conduit Street coverage of the MACo briefing. As MACo's presentation on county priorities wrapped, Committee members asked various…

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January 22, 2020
MACo to Ways and Means Committee: Prioritize Schools, Behavioral Health, Local Decision-Making
County Budgets / County News / Education / General Assembly News / Health and Human Services / MACo Testimony / School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Taxes and Revenues
MACo to Ways and Means Committee: Prioritize Schools, Behavioral Health, Local Decision-Making

MACo’s 2020 President, Baltimore City Council Member Sharon Green Middleton, First Vice President, Caroline County Commissioner Wilbur Levengood, Chair of MACo's Education Subcommittee, Montgomery County Council Member Craig Rice, and MACo Associate Director Kevin Kinnally today presented MACo’s 2020 Legislative Initiatives to the House Ways and Means Committee. The MACo panel followed the Department of Legislative Services’ analysts, who presented the annual Overview of State Aid to Local Governments. Substance use disorders and mental illness…

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January 22, 2020
New Term Helping Students Path to Success?
County News / Education
New Term Helping Students Path to Success?

The label 'at-risk' is falling out of favor in the education field and being replaced with 'at-promise' to help lower stigmatizing students. As of January 1, California has replaced 'at-risk' in all educational and penal codes with 'at-promise,' While supporters argue that this term is less negative, there is criticism that it is still vague and not specific enough to drive effective policy. From Education Week: Despite the wide usage of at-risk, the term has…

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January 22, 2020
MA Reporting Gains Due to Preschool Expansion
Education
MA Reporting Gains Due to Preschool Expansion

In 2014, Massachusetts was one of 13 states to receive funds for expansion through the Preschool Development Grant program. A recently released study reports positive impacts on young children's early academic performance, especially in literacy and math skills. From Education Dive: Gains were strongest among children whose home language was not English and who didn’t have any prior early-learning classroom experience, according to the researchers with Abt Associates, who compared a sample of children who…

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January 17, 2020
Kirwan Senate Briefing: Revised Enrollment Will Change The Numbers
Education / State Budget and Fiscal Issues
Kirwan Senate Briefing: Revised Enrollment Will Change The Numbers

The Senate Committee overseeing education policy received a broad update on the Kirwan Commission recommendations - and a sense that the plan is still evolving. The Senate Committee on Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs held a briefing on January 14 with Dr. William "Brit" Kirwan, chair of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, and the Commission's lead staffer, DLS's Rachel Hise. The briefing covered the full range of its recommendations. Watch the full…

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January 15, 2020
2020 Built to Learn Act – “Supercharged” School Construction Bill
Crofton Area High School (photo courtesy of Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Education / General Assembly News / School Construction and Capital Budgets
2020 Built to Learn Act – “Supercharged” School Construction Bill

The 2020 Built to Learn Act would drive an additional $2.2 billion in school construction funding, by leveraging casino "lockbox" revenues for bonds. Legislation creating a large new funding program for school construction has been introduced for the second year in the General Assembly. The 2020 bill has many similarities to last year and additionally, pulls recommendations from the 2019 Workgroup on the Assessment and Funding of School Facilities. The Built to Learn Act 2020…

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January 15, 2020
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