Around Maryland

The Maryland Accountability & Implementation Board voted to approve Baltimore County Public Schools’ implementation plan for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future without any conditions Thursday, a historic step that will release significant funds to this school district and others across the state. The Blueprint will funnel billions into Maryland schools over the next decade.

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.

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.

Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) announced this week the school system will receive over $2.6 million from the competitive Stronger Connections grant program under Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The competitive grant, which spans the next three academic years, provides funding to increase the school system’s capacity to provide students with safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments.

The Montgomery County, Maryland, police department is rolling out two new cruisers on Thursday, both designed to stealthily catch drivers who violate traffic laws. The standard “slick-top” cruiser looks similar to traditional police cars — however, instead of light bars mounted on the roof, slick-top lights will be placed inside the vehicle, on top of the windshield and in the rear window.

The Housing Authority of Prince George’s County (HAPGC) awarded a brokerage service contract to Divaris Real Estate Inc. (DRE). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. As part of the contract, The Virginia Beach, Virginia-based company and principal Joe Farina will provide comprehensive brokerage services to the HAPGC, providing property-related analysis, strategic planning and marketing of the authority’s portfolio.