BALTIMORE — It’s a big job educating 890,000 students in 1,400 public schools here in Maryland, and the top state educator’s first order of business is addressing chronic absenteeism.
“Every day matters,” said State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey Wright, “We are working closely with districts to insure that our students are present, engaged and supported.”
Watch as the leaders discuss priorities for the new school year
With a focus on fundamentals, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey Wright will attempt to raise achievement in literacy and mathematics.
As the state enters its fourth year of the costly Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, there are early indications it may be paying off with the state’s fourth grade literacy climbing from 40th to 20th in the country.
“You know it is promising,” said State Board President Dr. Joshua Michael, “We’ve got a lot more work to do to get where we want to be, but all arrows are moving in the right direction.”
If only you could say the same about the dollar signs.
Among the many challenges facing school districts across the state is remaining questions surrounding federal funding.
State lawmakers had already shifted some costs to local governments resulting in cutbacks to this year’s school programs when the Trump administration announced it would cut the feds share, in some instances where the money had already been spent.
“Right now, we have reimbursed the districts about 180.4 million dollars that they had already spent. However, we are still waiting on 232 million dollars from the feds so that money has not come in as promised,” said Wright.
Those funds are not only used to pay salaries, but also for resources like professional learning, afterschool programs and addressing the needs of multi-lingual and homeless children.
