MORE MARYLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS EARN 5-STAR RATINGS: The quality of Maryland public schools is getting better. That’s according to the star ratings released by the Maryland State Department of Education on Tuesday. Greg Morton and Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
- For a third straight year, Maryland schools made slight gains on the annual report card. In the 2024-25 school year, 43% of schools earned four or five stars, up from 41% in the 2023-24 school year. According to the report, 98 schools garnered a five-star rating in the 2024-25 school year, an increase from 91 the previous school year. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
- Nearly half of Baltimore City schools earned at least three stars out of five stars in the state ratings this year, up from 35% last year. The school system’s performance on the Maryland School Report Card was largely fueled by reductions in the number of middle schoolers who are chronically absent and an increase in math test scores this year. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
- Baltimore County is once again home to the most five-star schools and the highest-performing school in the state. Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
- The number of Anne Arundel County schools with five-star ratings on the Maryland School Report Card increased this year. Six Anne Arundel County schools went from four stars last year to five this year. While two former five-star schools each lost a star. Jessica Calefati/The Baltimore Banner.
- The Howard County Public School System remains one of the highest performing school systems in the state, according to the Maryland School Report Card, the state’s annual review of school quality. Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
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Montgomery County had 93 schools earn four stars, while 18 campuses scored a five, based on 2024-25 school year data. That’s about 54% of all its campuses. In the previous year’s ratings, exactly half of schools earned four or five stars. The increase was driven by eight more campuses scoring a four. Talia Richman/The Baltimore Banner.
SZELIGA SAYS SHE’LL CHALLENGE MOORE ATTEMPTS AT REDISTRICTING: A Republican lawmaker who successfully challenged redrawn congressional districts three years ago said she is preparing to go back to court if Gov. Wes Moore and other Democrats produce a new set of districts aimed at eliminating the state’s only Republican-held seat. “This just seems like Kabuki theater,” Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) said of the governor’s claims that he wants fair congressional districts. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
ICE LIKELY GEARING UP FOR MORE AGENTS IN MARYLAND: ICE may be gearing up to bring more agents into Baltimore and other parts of Maryland. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security posted two contracts at the end of October requesting proposals for “administrative office space in support of law enforcement operations” in Baltimore and Hyattsville. The Baltimore facility will be between 11,500 and 18,500 square feet, while the Hyattsville space will range between 3,750 and 5,000 square feet. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
BA CO PACT WITH ICE SURPRISES CANDIDATES: Baltimore County’s agreement with federal immigration authorities is drawing criticism from candidates vying for various county political seats, who expressed both surprise and disappointment at the news. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
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REPUBLICAN CONCEDES IN ANNAPOLIS MAYOR’s RACE DESPITE UNCOUNTED MAIL-IN BALLOTS: The race for mayor of Annapolis is still up in the air with more than 2,600 mail-in ballots still to be counted. The official winner might not be declared until next week. JT Moodee Lockman, Adam Thompson and Caroline Foreback/WJZ-TV News.
- Democratic candidates in the Annapolis election held early leads in the races for mayor and nearly every city council seat, according to unofficial results released on election night. Cody Boteler/The Baltimore Banner.
- With Democrat Jared Littmann holding a significant lead in the Annapolis mayoral election from in-person Election Day votes, Republican Robert O’Shea called his opponent Tuesday night to concede even though thousands of mail-in ballots remain to be counted. Katharine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
INCUMBENT GAITHERSBURG MAYOR HEADS TO THIRD TERM: Incumbent Jud Ashman appears to have won his third full four-year term as mayor of the city of Gaithersburg, fending off challenger Tiffany Kelly, according to unofficial election results. As of Tuesday at 10:45 p.m., Ashman was winning the mayoral race with 4,364 votes to Kelly’s 1,552 votes. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
- Ashman was reelected alongside City Council members Lisa Henderson and Jim McNulty, who ran together as a slate. The incumbent mayor garnered 74% of the vote, while Kelly, a federal employee, secured just 26%. Ginny Bixby and Jack Hogan/The Baltimore Banner.
CONSTELLATION UNVEILS PLANS FOR GAS PLANT, BATTERY STORAGE FACILITY: Constellation Energy began making its case Tuesday that it should be the go-to company if Maryland expands power generation within its borders. The company said Tuesday that it had submitted proposals, under the state’s new permitting fast-track process, for two natural gas power plant concepts and for new battery energy storage facility. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
These power plants better get approved, I’d prefer Nuclear, but anything that is more efficient than wind and solar is much needed to cover the electricity gap and prices to come down.