The seven-person state accountability board tasked with supervising how Maryland’s 24 school districts will implement the landmark Blueprint for Maryland’s Future reform voted Thursday to approve Baltimore City’s plan. The Maryland Accountability and Implementation Board did not offer any conditions for signing off on the plan that Baltimore City Public Schools will use to follow guidelines set by the Blueprint, a 2021 law that will cost the state and local governments billions of dollars over a 10-year period to improve public schools.

A Maryland accountability board approved Thursday Anne Arundel Public Schools’ first plan for implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a 10-year education reform initiative. Each of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions faced a March deadline for submitting a plan to implement the Blueprint’s many requirements to the Maryland Accountability and Implementation Board, the state’s seven-person oversight authority.

The Montgomery County school board recently shared its top four priorities for the coming school year, highlighting math and literacy concerns and school safety as key areas for improvement. The school district is considering developing a mobile app to streamline information-sharing and enhance communication between schools and families, board members say.

When it comes to a public restroom, all you want — all you need — is a clean, well-lighted place. Alas, that isn’t always available. In my experience, public restrooms have gotten a lot better over the years, but I’m still scarred by some truly horrific encounters. Picture it: You’re far from the interstate, away from any state-funded rest stop.

Melissa Rosenberg, executive director of the Howard County Autism Society, said the funding will help sustain the current Autism Hiring Program and support its expansion to Towson University. The society is partnering with the Hussman Center for Adults with Autism at Towson, where the university will help collect data to determine if people finding employment through the program are successful at their jobs.

Baltimore’s devastating spate of violence involving young people has spurred calls to get guns out of teens’ hands. Experts say the presence of deadly weapons on the street only fuels young people’s perception they need to arm themselves in response. As to why, a growing body of evidence that suggests at least some young people who carry guns say they need them for protection.

Flights to several destinations from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport are spiking despite the airport serving fewer customers and offering fewer flights this month than in July 2019. BWI Airport scheduled 12.8% fewer flights in July 2023 than July 2019, but available seats only dropped 2.2%, according to statistics from data aviation company Cirium Inc.

Frederick County and other jurisdictions around Maryland have the first phase of their long-term educational strategy in place, following the vote of a state board Thursday. The state’s Accountability & Implementation Board voted Thursday afternoon to approve the initial implementation plans of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future for each of Maryland’s 23 counties and the city of Baltimore.

 

Whether this is the “Barbie,” the barbecuing, or the beach phase of summer for you, there’s a good chance that what happened at Brooklyn Homes the first weekend of July is not a top concern unless you have a direct connection to the people of that part of South Baltimore. That’s the way it goes. What is being called the largest mass shooting in the city’s history dominates headlines and city chatter for days and then fades from view as the next thing comes along, whether frivolous or tragic.

The contentious, months-long political fight ended in applause as Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) signed into law a bill limiting rent increases, surrounded by cheering officials and housing activists. It was a hard-fought victory for renter protections that tenant rights advocates had sought for years, including Elrich, who twice tried and failed to force the issue as a county council member.