State Roundup, March 27, 2017

MORE BUCKS FOR BALTIMORE SCHOOLS: Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday he’s proposing an additional $23.7 million for Baltimore schools, extra funding he said he’ll include in a supplemental budget Monday. The money would be contingent upon the General Assembly passing “accountability legislation” for city schools that would include an audit of the school system’s finances. Erin Cox and Pamela Wood of the Sun report that city and state officials have been negotiating for weeks about extra aid for city schools, which are facing a $130 million shortfall for next year.

  • The extra funding for Baltimore City Schools caps several weeks of negotiations which included meetings between the governor, Mayor Catherine Pugh and Baltimore City Schools CEO Sonja Santelises, Robert Lang of WBAL-AM reports.

  • Earlier, Michael Dresser of the Sun had reported that a deal is taking shape in Annapolis that would give the Baltimore school system money to help close its $130 million funding shortfall and also create a tax break that Gov. Larry Hogan proposed for manufacturers. Del. Maggie McIntosh, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, predicted Friday that the House of Delegates would pass legislation to create a tax break for manufacturing companies that move to Baltimore and other financially distressed areas of the state after the bill gets through the state Senate.

HOGAN BLASTS ED REFORM BILL: Gov. Larry Hogan on Friday blasted an education reform bill that’s moving through the General Assembly, calling it “misguided and horrible.” Hogan said the bill — known as the “Protect Our Schools Act” — would thwart “an exciting opportunity to move beyond outdated practices” for reforming schools, Pamela Wood of the Sun writes. The bill would set standards for how to identify low-performing schools, using a combination of test scores and other factors, such as absenteeism and the number of highly qualified teachers. A video of Hogan tops the article.

 

 

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