Maryland’s Service Year Option Is Up and Running

The inaugural class of Service Year Option fellows was announced on October 27. Maryland’s new Department of Service and Civic Innovation and the Service Year Option program are now up and running, with the official launch of the program on October 27, 2023. MACo supported legislation that created both and helped guide county governments looking to host Service Year fellows. The law and program specifically target local governments to host fellows in various fields, providing…

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Closing the Gap: Filling Vacancies, Fostering Workplace Cohesion at #MACoCon

The MACo Winter Conference panel, “Closing the Gap: Filling Vacancies, Fostering Workplace Cohesion,” will examine challenges in hiring and retaining talent in county government and best practices for workplace cohesion. At the MACo Winter Conference session, “Closing the Gap: Filling Vacancies, Fostering Workplace Cohesion,” county and state leaders will examine challenges in hiring and retaining the next generation of county government public servants and how to foster workplace cohesion between the "old" and "new" generations.…

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AIB Approves Blueprint Career and Technical Education Plan

The Blueprint oversight board approved a critical strategic plan to expand Maryland's career and technical education programs and prepare students for their next steps post-high school. The Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB), tasked with oversight of the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (“The Blueprint”), approved a strategic plan seeking to improve student enrollment in college and career readiness (CCR) programs. The CCR plan was reviewed and tweaked by the AIB's Career and Technical…

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State Presented With Recommendations to Improve Child Care

The General Assembly's Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee was presented with recommendations to improve the State's child care landscape. The General Assembly's Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee met on October 16 to review various topics, including Maryland's child care industry. Relevant state agencies and professional staff from the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) presented to the Committee and offered recommendations for the General Assembly's consideration before the 2024 legislative session. The child care industry has…

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School Vacancies Remain a Challenge for 2023-2024 School Year

Nationally, 86% of public schools report difficulties hiring teachers, and 83% are having trouble hiring nonteaching staff. New data shows that hiring and retaining teachers and school staff remains a top challenge for public K-12 education nationwide. It is no secret that teachers are leaving the profession at a concerning rate nationwide, and hiring new education staff remains a significant challenge, including in Maryland. Many hoped that the 2023-2024 school year would prove a turning…

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Feds Grant MD Community Colleges Funds for CDL Programs

Baltimore County and Prince George's community colleges receive tuition grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation for commercial driver’s license programs. On October 11, U. S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg awarded Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) federal grants for their respective commercial driver's license programs (CDL). The funds, which will serve as tuition grants for students enrolled in the CDL programs, are to prioritize…

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Frederick Expands Workforce Development as City Joins National Good Jobs, Great Cities Program

The City of Frederick, Frederick County, joined a national program elevating local jobs and connecting residents to workforce opportunities. The City of Frederick is the latest municipality to join the National League of Cities' (NLC) Good Jobs, Great Cities Program. The Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy includes 16 cities working throughout 2023 and 2024 to develop innovative and scalable city-supported solutions that upskill and reskill workers into quality, high-demand jobs in infrastructure, clean energy, and…

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Student Enrollment Is Down, Teachers Are Up…So What’s Financially Up?

Expert Chad Aldeman: "With More Teachers & Fewer Students, Districts Are Set up for Financial Trouble." The latest data suggests that more teachers nationwide are employed in American public schools today than before the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, those same schools serve approximately 1.9 million fewer students (a decrease of 4 percent) than pre-pandemic. Education and finance analyst and writer Chad Aldeman recently wrote about this seemingly conflicting situation. A comparison of enrollment…

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Howard’s “Work On Wheels” Hits the Road for Workforce Development

A new partnership brings mobile job resources to Howard County communities. Howard County has partnered with the Howard County Library System (HCLS) to launch an innovative Work on Wheels program. The program will enhance the County's Office of Workforce Development (OWD) range of services by bringing job-seeking resources and services, such as resume reviews, connections to jobs, and potential training, to underserved communities throughout the county. Work on Wheels will utilize HCLS’s STEAM Machine, a…

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Here’s How Baltimore County Halved Teacher Vacancies in Special Education

Baltimore County's special education teacher vacancies are half last year's. Here's how the county did it. Baltimore County started the 2023-2024 school year hitting a milestone. The county's special education teacher vacancy rate is half what it was at the start of the 2023-2023 school year. Last year, Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) had 80 special education teacher vacancies, compared to 43 this year. Nationwide, school districts are struggling to hire and retain educators and…

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