Baltimore City schools, charters clash over Blueprint money; special education and pre-K funding caught in between

Seven charter school operators are petitioning the Maryland State Board of Education to rewrite Baltimore City school system’s funding formula for distributing money tied to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Charter representatives and city school administrators have negotiated for months but say they were unable to resolve the dispute, which centers on a 25% administrative “fee” that the system included in its charter school formula for distributing state funds tied to the landmark Blueprint reform plan. The Blueprint is expected to infuse an additional $3.8 billion in Maryland schools over the next decade.

Hutzell: Could artificial intelligence hold the key to saving the Chesapeake Bay?

Your body mass index is a calculation of your health based on a simple calculation using your height and weight. Now, imagine a far more complex bit of math. This one uses layers of equations to sort 30 million data points instead of just two. To help, you get to use powerful computer systems once available only to government agencies or to well-funded researchers. Right now, an increasing number of scientists around the Chesapeake Bay are doing just that, using artificial intelligence to answer huge environmental questions that define the future of a watershed where more than 18 million live across six states.

Maryland colleges are trying to shake tepid enrollment. Results are mixed.

After years of tepid enrollment spurred by the pandemic, colleges and universities in Maryland are trying to stabilize and grow their student populations with varying degrees of success. Several Maryland schools, public and private, enrolled fewer students in the fall, including the University of Baltimore, as well as Frostburg State, Coppin State, Notre Dame of Maryland and Johns Hopkins universities. Other institutions in the state, such as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Morgan State University, recorded significant gains. “It’s been a mixed bag for us,” said Kurt Schmoke, president of the University of Baltimore. “Our law school is doing very well on enrollment. But on our undergraduate side, we rely very heavily on transfers from community colleges, and those enrollments have been down for two years.”

How much is a dispensary worth? A Cumberland deal gives a clue.

How much is a Maryland medical dispensary license worth? One deal in Cumberland might give a clue into the value of a license now that legal recreational use is on the horizon. TerrAscend, a Canadian company with operations in multiple states, purchased 100% of the equity of Allegany Medical Marijuana Dispensary for $10 million late last month. The real estate of the dispensary is not included in the deal. Instead, TerrAscend is entering into a long-term lease, with the option to eventually purchase Allegany Medical Marijuana Dispensary’s location at 100 Beall St. in Cumberland. The dispensary generated net revenues in excess of $8 million in 2022, according to a release.

Opinion: The federal workforce is aging. It’s time for a new generation.

The workforce of the U.S. government is aging. Today, just 7 percent of permanent full-time federal employees are younger than 30 compared with 20 percent in the broader labor market. Meanwhile, 31 percent of all government employees are eligible to retire by 2025. Young people are keen. They are not the problem. Federal leaders should pay more attention to hiring young people to sustain the workforce, and some managers have a tendency to hire for experience instead of building the talent bench. Recruiting on college campuses is suboptimal. Individuals younger than 30 who do apply are discouraged by lengthy and convoluted hiring processes and a pay system that is outdated.

The BSO takes on ‘Black Panther’ for Black History Month

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is bringing Wakanda to Baltimore for orchestra concertgoers and movie fans. The BSO is honoring Black History Month with programs highlighting contributions from Black musicians, artists and composers as part of their “Hall for All“ initiative, a plan to diversify programming to reach more audiences at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. “The Jazz Age — Harlem Renaissance,” “Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Live in Concert” and “Calypso Fusion” performances will “celebrate pivotal time periods … that encapsulate the evolution of Black music, spoken word, and film while highlighting talented composers, conductors, and musicians,” BSO president and CEO Mark C. Hanson said in a statement.

Maryland lawmakers consider police use of facial recognition technology, decriminalization of drug paraphernalia

Police in Maryland would be barred from using facial recognition technology in certain circumstances under a bill lawmakers considered in a state House committee hearing Tuesday. The bill would be the first successful attempt to regulate the use of facial recognition technology for law enforcement at a statewide level in Maryland. Public defenders and prosecutors alike told lawmakers they believe some restrictions should be enacted, though they disagree how far those restrictions should go. “This is a very complicated topic,” said Del. David Moon, a Montgomery County Democrat who sponsored the House version of the bill. He suggested during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that it was better for everyone to get together on some rules, “rather than have nothing whatsoever.”

As salaries continue to grow nationally, Greater Baltimore sees a decline

After months of soaring salary offers, wage growth started to slow nationally at the end of 2022 — and in Baltimore, it completely stopped. The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area saw average private-sector earnings drop by 2.9% year over year in December, from $1,140.36 to $1,107.22, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Nationally, private-sector earnings rose by an average 2.9% in metro areas between December 2021 and December 2022. That’s down significantly from the strong salary surges that were taking place in spring and summer 2022, causing significant headaches for employers and driving up inflation.  The pace of year-over-year growth has slowed even since November when the average metro posted a 3.4% increase in private-sector wages.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates scraps plans for foundation while in office

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates is scrapping plans for a nonprofit foundation that was expected to accept contributions — from donors it would not have to disclose under the law — to pay for events while he served as the city’s top prosecutor. Building Bridges for a Better Baltimore Foundation, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization established in late October, sponsored Bates’ week of inauguration festivities and reported that its purpose included “providing financial support to organizations in Baltimore City that serve our residents in need.” Bates’ father, Henry, and the secretary of his transition team, Shonte Eldridge, were among its board of directors.

HR trends: COVID no longer top office concern — mental health ranks higher

The COVID-19 pandemic is no longer the top office concern, according to a recent survey of executives and HR professionals by the Alexandria, Virginia-based Society for Human Resource Management. “What was clearly the top priority from 2020 all the way down to 2022 has now taken a step back and is now the fourth most-common priority,” said Alex Alonso, chief knowledge officer at the Society for Human Resource Management. “They are talking about how they go about managing it, as opposed to something that is taking lives or having to focus on vaccine mandates.” What has emerged as a top priority for employers this year, is the mental health of their employees.