Education
MD Receives Federal Grant for School Breakfasts

Maryland is among six states selected to receive grants to support school breakfast programs. The Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs (OSCNP) has been awarded a $50,000 grant through the No Kid Hungry School Breakfast Leadership Institute to expand access to school breakfast. The School Breakfast Program ensures that students receive the nutrition they need to learn and succeed in school. Research has shown that students who eat…

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April 16, 2019
2019 End of Session Wrap-Up: Education
County News / Education / General Assembly News
2019 End of Session Wrap-Up: Education

The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work in the area of education policy in the 2019 General Assembly.  Follow links for more coverage on Conduit Street and MACo’s Legislative Database.  Counties support education as the largest component of their budgets, with operating and capital support for schools typically representing a larger share of a county budget than all other function combined. Statutory formulas drive most state-level funding - meaning constant attention to the state-county balance inf…

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April 10, 2019
HCC Receives Grant to Strengthen Apprenticeship Program
Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images
County News / Education / News You Can Use
HCC Receives Grant to Strengthen Apprenticeship Program

Hagerstown Community College (HCC) was recently awarded a $48,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (DLLR) to support the growth of construction trades apprenticeship in Washington County. The grant, awarded under the state’s Apprenticeship Innovation Fund, will support the development and delivery of pre-apprenticeship training over the next year. According to a press release: The training will cover the pre-apprenticeship core curriculum defined by the National Center for Construction Education and…

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April 8, 2019
Education / State Budget and Fiscal Issues
Kirwan Blueprint Bill Sailing to Governor

The "Education Blueprint" bill with initial recommendations from the Kirwan Commission, and two years worth of funding, is on its way toward passage. SB 1030 has been amended and passed in the House of Delegates, with strong bi-partisan support, and appears headed to the Governor. The two-year spending plan includes targeted funding for special education students, schools with high density of poverty, and teacher salary incentives. The bill, with multiple changes and compromises incorporated at…

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April 5, 2019
Education / State Budget and Fiscal Issues
Kirwan “Blueprint” Bill Amended, Moving in Senate

The vast "Blueprint" bill implementing initial steps toward the Kirwan Commission recommendations is moving in the Senate, after being amended significantly. The Senate Committee on Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs has unanimously passed an amended version of the highly-anticipated "Blueprint for Maryland's Future" legislation. The bill includes two years of funding provisions to support initial recommendations of the Kirwan Commission (Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education), and establishes policy guidance for the longer term…

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April 1, 2019
Education
Governor Hogan’s Veto Overturned: Local Boards Regain School Calendar Powers

In 2016, Governor Hogan signed an executive order to require public schools to start their school years after Labor Day. However, some school systems have "struggled to meet the requirement that students receive at least 180 days of instruction," leading to the General Assembly passing legislation handing school calendar powers back to the 24 local school boards across the state of Maryland in SB 128 Community Control of School Calendars Act. Those against the bill…

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March 29, 2019
Conduit Street Podcast: “Spring Cleaning” Policy Roundup
Agriculture / County Budgets / County News / Education / General Assembly News / Labor / NACo and Federal Issues / School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues
Conduit Street Podcast: “Spring Cleaning” Policy Roundup

MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast. You can listen to previous episodes of the Conduit Street Podcast on our website. Useful Links Previous Conduit Street Coverage: Budget Conferees Reach Compromise on Spending Plan Previous Conduit Street Coverage: County and Legislative Leaders Push for Build to Learn Act Previous Conduit Street Coverage: $15…

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March 29, 2019
County News / Education / General Assembly News / School Construction and Capital Budgets / Taxes and Revenues
Budget Conferees Reach Compromise on Spending Plan

Budget conferees on Monday put the finishing touches on a $46.6 billion dollar budget proposal, reconciling several differences between the House and Senate budget proposals. The conference committee's report now goes to the General Assembly for final approval. The proposed budget achieves the Spending Affordability Committee’s (SAC) dual goal of leaving a fund balance of at least $100 million and eliminating the structural shortfall in fiscal 2020. The conference committee’s actions leave a fund balance…

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March 26, 2019
Education
Kirwan Member Op-Ed: Most Special Ed Kids “Mis-Labeled”

A longtime special education advocate criticizes public school treatment of, and services for, struggling learners. Kalman "Buzzy" Hettleman, an outspoken member of Maryland's Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (the Kirwan Commission) has filed an opinion letter in the Baltimore Sun, suggesting that some two thirds of students in MD public schools classified as "special education" students have been miscast in that role. From his letter: In Maryland as many as 65,000 public school…

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March 26, 2019
Conduit Street Podcast: Major Issues Mashup
County Budgets / County News / Education / General Assembly News / News You Can Use / Planning and Zoning / School Construction and Capital Budgets / Taxes and Revenues
Conduit Street Podcast: Major Issues Mashup

MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast. You can listen to previous episodes of the Conduit Street Podcast on our website. Useful Links Previous Conduit Street Coverage: $15 Minimum Wage Bill Heading to Governor Hogan Previous Conduit Street Coverage: Passage of Clean Energy Jobs Act Likely, But Maybe Not This Year Previous Conduit…

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March 21, 2019
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