Category: Commentary
Children with autism spectrum disorder facing challenges dealing with social distancing
Most of us have the cognitive and physical abilities to adapt to social distancing, but imagine what happens to those who lack this skill set.
Read More
Schooling must not stop during COVID-19 pandemic
Any school administrator who suggests he cannot offer bona fide distance learning programs must follow the three A’s: Apologize for his error; Adopt a solution; then Abdicate his office.
Read More
Let’s ensure police are accountable to communities
The public should have the right to know whether all complaints of misconduct are adequately investigated, and police departments should be transparent in their investigations.
Read More
Kirwan Blueprint funding reform needed
The Kirwan Blueprint bill is currently moving way too fast through the House before it moves next...
Read More
Surprise: Democrats propose more taxes as poll finds Marylanders think they’re already too high
Stupid me for not reading the fine print when legislative leaders said they were not going to raise tax rates.
Read More
Howard school redistricting plan hurts poor students
Howard County superintendent Michael Martirano proposed a school redistricting plan that hurts poor children by removing them from “Title I” schools where federally-funded programs help children from low-income families.
Read More
Opinion: Bootleggers, Baptists, and Howard’s school redistricting
The prevailing media narrative surrounding redistricting is a Manichean frame pitting social justice advocates fighting for equity (however ill-defined they use the term) against wealthy parents who do not want their children moved out of their community schools. However, there is another framework at play, one that explains the real coalitions and motivations at play: Bootleggers and Baptists, a theory developed by a Clemson University economist.
Read More
Analysis: Moving students around in Howard County is not enough to achieve equity
Children from lower-income families are concentrated in Columbia’s older neighborhoods and the Route 1 corridor because that’s where their parents can afford to live. Achieving equity in education for these students requires the additional resources laid out by the Kirwan Commision on Innovation and Excellence in Education. Simply moving them to higher performing schools, as the superintendent has proposed, is not enough.
Read More
Opinion: In Howard Co., moving students for ‘socioeconomic integration’ makes no sense
Del. Trent Kittleman, R-9A Howard County, the grandmother of six students in Howard County public schools, questions Superintendent Michael Martirano plan to move 7,400 students to relieve overcrowding but also to achieve “socioeconomic integration.” Kittleman says the moves will harm many children.
Read More
MarylandReporter.com celebrates 10th birthday
Happy 10th Birthday to MarylandReporter.com. Ten years ago this Saturday, on November 2, 2009, MarylandReporter.com launched the original nonprofit news website in Maryland covering our state government and politics. We hope you’ll send us a 10th birthday gift to keep us going for another year – and have your gift doubled by four national foundations.
Read More
Opinion: Kirwan plan is a union cash grab; taxpayers get the tab
The Kirwan Commission’s real aim is hiking teacher pay by $3 billion a year, and it is why the state teachers’ unions are so strongly backing it – more teacher pay. Kirwan aims at “making teacher salaries more competitive with other professions.”
Read More
Opinion: What students from low-income homes really need
Instead of spending close to $3 million dollars as that is the projected transportation cost associated with Dr. Martirano’s proposal, a prudent way to spend this money would be educating school staff about trauma. No curriculum or instruction provided by the best Howard County teachers will succeed if a student is under chronic stress.
Read More
Recent Comments