Around Maryland

A new round of bonuses could be on the way for Anne Arundel County school bus drivers — an effort to help a system that has suffered from inconsistent service in the past year. County Executive Steuart Pittman submitted a supplemental budget request Thursday for fiscal 2023 seeking to amend the $2 billion fiscal plan that he proposed earlier this year to include new federal funding for both bus drivers and crossing guards.

Annapolis City Council members plan to vote Friday on whether to restore a $5,000 community grant for Eastport United Methodist Church. While the money may be only a drop in the bucket in the city’s nearly $175 million budget, which is scheduled for adoption Friday, the grant has been cause for considerable debate. Both the church and some council members have pushed back against City Attorney Mike Lyles, who has advised against giving the Methodists money to help fund a “community coordinator” position at the church.

Maryland has ordered 65,400 doses of a pediatric coronavirus vaccine that will be ready for children on June 20, pending federal approval, state health officials said Thursday. Deputy Health Secretary Jinlene Chan said at a news conference that the state “will have this important vaccine available for families right away” if it is approved during meetings of federal regulators late next week.

The average price of regular gas in Maryland is inching closer to $5 per gallon.   AAA reported that the average price of regular in Maryland was up to $4.98 on Wednesday, an increase of nearly 40 cents from a week ago. “It’s frustrating for everyone. No one can afford to pay gas like this,” said a man named “K” from Northeast Baltimore. As the price of fuel gets higher, the cost of goods and services is increasing on some goods, like in the landscaping industry.

The Frederick County Board of Education on Wednesday trimmed the final $337,000 necessary to balance its planned spending plan for next fiscal year, paving the way for final approval later this month. The school system’s budget is projected to increase by more than $57 million for fiscal year 2023, or about 7.5%, and land at $822,836,251. But officials had to cut more than $8 million from the first draft of their spending plan because funding from the county was lower than they’d hoped for.

Perryman residents have filed suit against Harford County, the Mitchell family and the developers of the proposed Mitchell property warehouse project. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, where the developers are based. This is the latest move in the Perryman community’s efforts to block the plan to build 5.2 million square feet of warehouse space in their neighborhood.

The report describes differing interpretations, applications and adherence to grade change procedures among high school staff. Maryland’s Inspector General for Education is calling on the state’s Department of Education to authorize a performance audit of the Baltimore City school system after investigators found inconsistencies in grading practices. Inspector General for Education Richard Henry released a 28-page report Tuesday detailing his office’s examination of grading policies for the school system that enrolls an estimated 78,000 students. The report describes differing interpretations, applications and adherence to grade change procedures among high school staff.