Read more about the article County Executive Ball Builds on Education Commitments with Broad, Sustained Support
County Budgets / Education
County Executive Ball Builds on Education Commitments with Broad, Sustained Support

County Executive Ball proposed an $800 million allocation for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) operating budget in FY26. This represents $39 million in new recurring funding for HCPSS, which exceeds the State's estimated cost of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future in Howard by $ 352 million. In a Monday press release, government officials in Howard detailed the proposed fiscal 2026 budget with an impressive focus on education spending despite budgetary challenges at the…

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April 24, 2025
Read more about the article Deep Dive: The First Big Test for The Blueprint
Education / Policy Deep Dive
Deep Dive: The First Big Test for The Blueprint

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives. Maryland's landmark "Blueprint for Maryland's Future" education plan sees an early-stage challenge, as one school system argues it cannot fulfill the Blueprint's programmatic mandates without severely cutting other school functions. The State's Accountability and Implementation…

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April 23, 2025
Read more about the article SCOTUS Takes Up Maryland Storybook Case, Arguments Today
Courts / Education
SCOTUS Takes Up Maryland Storybook Case, Arguments Today

The case of Mahmoud v. Taylor, arising from Montgomery County Public Schools, presents issues on first amendment rights for both content presented in public schools, and a family's ability to opt out of specific materials. The Supreme Court will hear argument today on the major case, with potentially broad consequences. Mahmoud v. Taylor includes a series of plaintiffs from Montgomery County Maryland, seeking to restore their ability to have their children in the public schools…

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April 22, 2025
Read more about the article 2025 Session: Recap and Wrap-Ups
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2025 Session: Recap and Wrap-Ups

Catch up on all of the latest outcomes of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session with wrap-ups on important county-related bills in each policy area. Maryland’s 447th legislative session was defined by one of the most challenging budget environments in over a decade — with a $3.3 billion shortfall driving proposals for aggressive cost shifts, spending cuts, and tax changes. Despite these unprecedented fiscal pressures, counties worked together through MACo to protect essential services, limit…

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April 11, 2025
Read more about the article 2025 End of Session Wrap-Up: Education
Education / MACo Testimony
2025 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 2025 General Assembly session.  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 functions combined. Statutory formulas drive most state-level funding, which requires constant attention to the state-county balance in funding responsibilities. The burden of costly mandates…

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April 10, 2025
Read more about the article Senate Restores Governor Moore’s Blueprint “Pause,” Bill Heads to Conference
Education / State Budget and Fiscal Issues
Senate Restores Governor Moore’s Blueprint “Pause,” Bill Heads to Conference

The Senate passed Governor Moore's Blueprint “pause” bill after undoing some of the major changes previously passed by the House, restoring much of the administration's original plan. With the State’s largest fiscal decisions still pending, the Governor’s “Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act,” HB 504 / SB 429 will now be decided in a deliberation between education leadership in the House and Senate to reconcile the differences. The Senate, this week, worked through the major…

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April 4, 2025
Read more about the article Students Collaborate With Allegany County on Revitalization Project
County News / Economic Development / Education / Housing and Community Development
Students Collaborate With Allegany County on Revitalization Project

Students from West Virginia University (WVU) are bringing fresh ideas to community revitalization efforts in Allegany County. Through a partnership with the WVU Landscape Architecture Program, the City of Cumberland, and Allegany County Economic and Community Development (ACECD), the Wills Creek corridor in Cumberland, Maryland, has been the focus of a student-led design project to consider its potential as a central connector for the city and a catalyst for economic prosperity. Wills Creek, a 38.6-mile-long tributary of…

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April 3, 2025
Read more about the article Comcast Hits the Ground Running in St. Mary’s County
Broadband / County News / Economic Development / Education / Information Technology
Comcast Hits the Ground Running in St. Mary’s County

Comcast has announced it has connected the first residents in Leonardtown, Maryland (St. Mary's County) to Xfinity and Comcast Business services. These are the first of 5,800 homes and businesses that Comcast is connecting in the Leonardtown area. This expansion in Leonardtown deepens Comcast’s investment in St. Mary’s County, MD – where the company is undergoing a broader network expansion – ultimately connecting more than 30,000 residents and businesses across the county to Xfinity and Comcast Business…

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March 27, 2025
Read more about the article Talbot Empowers Youth With Essential Emergency Skills
County News / Education / Emergency Management / Health and Human Services
Talbot Empowers Youth With Essential Emergency Skills

In a unique and impactful experience for some of Talbot County's youth, Madison Loker, the Emergency Services Coordinator at the Talbot County Department of Emergency Services, recently introduced essential emergency preparedness and first aid skills to the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center’s Afterschool Program. While Loker regularly teaches life-saving emergency response and first aid skills to adults, the class was part of a broader initiative to engage communities on the importance of emergency preparedness, including basic…

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March 18, 2025
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