A portion of previously frozen federal funding has been released by the US Department of Education with billions for teacher training still in question.  In a mid-July decision the federal Office of Management and Budget finalized a review of funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers and released about $1B worth of funding for after school programming and summer schools nationwide. These programs traditionally serve students and families in low income communities and are operating…

Last week state leadership presented the findings from public feedback regarding education reform in Maryland and voted on a number of suggestions that were brought to the table. The Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board is required to update the Blueprint Comprehensive Plan (BCP) that is used for establishing and tracking associated education reforms. This is meant to be done by August 1 of each year. The process involves a series of meetings to receive public…

$7B in federal education funding was put on hold the day before the start of the state and local government fiscal year in Maryland, with next-day deposits frozen. State officials say early estimates show $125M impact statewide. A hold has been put on federal funding that was intended to be delivered to schools last Tuesday. Recipients of grant funding received notification of the hold the day before transfers were intended to land in bank accounts.…

The Harford County Board of Education has once again pulled from school system reserve funds to cover recurring costs due to funding gaps left by state formula, while county government contributions in Harford are now $27M more than required and $86M more than the State's projections. On Monday the Harford County Board of Education voted, once again, to access reserve funds for ongoing school costs to cover funding shortfalls in the local school system. The…

The Carroll County Educators Association - the local teachers union - has agreed to a delay in salary increases due to State funding challenges cited by the Carroll County Board of Education. Local leaders want independent state oversight committee to hold Governor and General Assembly accountable for actual education costs.  The Carroll County Board of Education recently ratified an agreement with the Carroll County Educators Association that delays some previously anticipated salary increases. Documents from…