Latest news with #MarylandStateDepartmentofEducation
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Maryland after-school programs got restored federal funding. Adult education is still waiting.
The Trump administration's decision Friday to release some of the $110 million earmarked for Maryland's educational system will likely help a single after-school grant program but still leaves other programming in doubt. The Department of Education announced that it will release $1.3 billion in nationwide educational funding out of the $6.8 billion it was scheduled to be disbursed on or about July 1. Multiple states, including Maryland, are now involved in litigation to recover the rest of the money. The Maryland State Department of Education expects to get $22.6 million of the $110 million back, spokesperson Cherie Duvall-Jones said. But, as of Monday, the state had not received any of that promised grant money. All of that will fund the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a grant program that supports students and families, particularly those from low-income schools. The 21st Century Community Learning Center program 'provides comprehensive after-school and summer programs that have academic components, enrichment components, that are really sort of the creme de la creme … of out-of-school time because they are so robust,' said Ellie Mitchell, director of the Maryland Out of School Time Network, a state professional association for after-school and summer programs. Organizations relying on its grants were at risk of closure when Mitchell spoke with The Baltimore Sun before the Trump administration said it would restore some of the withheld funding Friday afternoon. 'We're really changing the trajectory of young people's lives with after-school [programs]. And if you take that away, we're not going to be able to reach Maryland's ambitious goals around improving literacy, improving math, improving school-day attendance,' she said. Students at Village Learning Place, a grant recipient in north Baltimore's Charles Village neighborhood, typically improve in those areas throughout the school year, according to Deputy Director Annie Malone. The center serves about 200 children from preschool through 12th grade each year. It holds a three-year grant under the initiative, which must be renewed annually. The grant provides them with over $350,000 each year, which Hayes described as a 'stable base' for the organization to build upon, along with other funding sources. 'It would be devastating for us to not have that funding,' said Siobhán Hayes, Village Learning Place's executive director. Meanwhile, a Baltimore adult education program didn't receive any reassurances Monday about federal funding it receives through the federal Department of Labor. 'This time of year, we depend on a really huge payment that gets dropped,' said Melissa Smith, executive director of the South Baltimore Learning Center in Federal Hill. Nearly a third of the almost $670,000 in grant money was supposed to arrive weeks ago. Without that money, notices signed by Smith are posted on the center's doors announcing a temporary closure. 'This summer semester, we enrolled over 180 learners, which is a record number. … And I had to turn them away.' The center employs 21 full- and part-time staff members and typically serves over 800 adult learners a year, according to Smith. 'We have to not ignore adult literacy and adult education because there are so many lives on the line,' Smith said. 'This place could be the reason why someone chooses not to commit a crime or not get incarcerated … because they have an option to get education versus making a poor choice.' The state Department of Labor declined to comment Monday on the partial restoration of funds. South Baltimore Learning Center is holding a rally Wednesday to advocate for its funding. It invited Mayor Brandon Scott and Gov. Wes Moore. Neither had accepted the invitation as of Monday afternoon. Baltimore County Public Schools does not expect any delay in services due to the cuts, spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala said in an email Monday. 'USDOE has only agreed to restore limited funding for afterschool programming, which was not one of the programs that directly affects our budget,' Andre Riley, spokesperson for Baltimore City Public Schools, said Monday. Regarding the remaining funds frozen by the Department of Education, 'we will face challenges in ensuring that staffing, materials, and other resources will be fully in place for the start of the 2025-2026 school year,' Riley wrote in an email. The withheld funds have the power to affect after-school programs statewide. The Howard County Public School System said in a statement Monday that while federal funding isn't its primary source of revenue, it was concerned about the impacts withheld funds could have on multilingual learners, professional development and grants. 'HCPSS is awaiting additional details and guidance from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget/U.S. Department of Education and MSDE on if/when these allocations will be disbursed. In the meantime, HCPSS remains committed to providing students and families in Howard County with the top education they are accustomed to,' the district said. 'It's hard to imagine how we're going to improve education by decreasing the resources available to public schools. It just doesn't compute,' Mitchell said. Baltimore Sun reporter Kiersten Hacker contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@ 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Maryland homeless students feel the brunt of housing unaffordability
BALTIMORE — A mother and 11-year-old daughter fleeing domestic violence moved to a Baltimore-area safe house in March. They had been homeless for more than a year, after a series of lost jobs and lost places to stay. 'It kept happening, and as far as I could see, I couldn't stop it,' said the 11-year-old, who enrolled in and attended three middle schools in the span of one year. 'So, instead of fighting it, [I] just accept it and move on.' She is one of thousands of students who have become homeless since 2019. In that time, Maryland has seen a 24% rise in homeless students during that time, due to ever-increasing rental and housing costs. At the same time, federal funds allocated to assist homeless students, like tutoring, after-school programs, transportation and school supplies, are being rolled back, further imperiling these children. The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth is a Georgia-based nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that advocates for educational equity for homeless youth. 'Many people don't understand that youth homelessness is even an issue in our country,' Executive Director Deirdre Nicholson said. 'It creates the pipeline to adult homelessness.' Higher housing costs, growing rates of homelessness among students Under the federal McKinney-Vento Assistance Act, homelessness doesn't simply mean living outdoors — it includes students who live in emergency shelters, cars or motels, as well as those who are 'doubling-up:' staying with friends or relatives. While there are about 1.3 million students identified under McKinney-Vento, that number only scratches the surface — there are an estimated 4.2 million youth experiencing homelessness nationwide, Nicholson said. Although the school systems have better tools to identify them, a majority aren't provided services, she said. Homeless students in Baltimore City accounted for 5,732 of the student body population for the 2023-2024 school year. Baltimore County came close behind with 2,791, followed by Montgomery County with 1,804, according to Maryland State Department of Education data. And as inflation has increased, along with the cost of living, so, too, has the cost of housing. In Maryland, the average rental price rose 20.5% between 2019 to 2024, according to an analysis by The Sun of the Apartment List rent estimates monthly report. Since 2000, the increase in rents and home prices has risen faster than income in the country, according to a 2024 analysis by the U.S. Treasury. Simultaneously, there's a larger demand for housing than available supply due to increased construction costs, local land-use and zoning restrictions and changing demographics, the Treasury analysis found. School supplies, laundry: services for homeless students Students enrolled in McKinney-Vento services can remain in and/or enroll in their school of choice, while also providing transportation, academic support, and other necessary services. The 11-year-old's new school helped some, the mother said. It gave them $200 for clothes, as well as school supplies and a new gym uniform under the federal program, the mother said. The school's guidance counselor also worked with her daughter. (The Baltimore Sun is not disclosing the names of the mother and daughter to protect their safety.) Schools also connect families with outside resources and organizations to get them back on their feet. Jennifer Cox founded Empower4life, a Baltimore-based nonprofit organization that provides education and health programs for homeless youth. This school year, she helped launch a laundry service at one Baltimore County school after a student whose family currently lives in a motel asked to wash his and his siblings' clothes at school. Now, a lot of families come in to use the laundry machines. It might sound like a simple thing to go to a laundromat, but families might not even have the funds for it, she said. Cox said she has observed an increase in the needs of homeless students and families for the services her foundation provides over the past few years. 'These kids are coming home from school and they're coming to really, really loud, stressful, chaotic, sometimes toxic environments,' Cox said. 'These kids are not playing sports. They're not going to the Boys and Girls Club.' Homelessness leads to worse academic performance Homelessness has a drastic impact on young people's academic progress and well-being, said Melissa Kull, a senior researcher focusing on youth housing instability and mental health at the nonpartisan, nonprofit social science research organization American Institute of Research. The stressful environment of cycling in and out of stable housing affects cognitive and social development in children, too, Kull said. Younger children are more likely to develop anxiety and depression, and score lower on early academic tests than students not experiencing housing instability, she said. While, older children are better able to weather changes, because they're missing school, she said, they may not graduate on time, or at all. While the data shows an increase in the number of Maryland students experiencing homelessness, the numbers don't tell the whole story. Some people whose children would qualify for services under McKinney-Vento never report their lack of fixed housing, out of fear, confusion or something else. Carla and her children became homeless nine months ago after experiencing domestic violence, which landed her and her children in a safe house. She switches among friends' homes, and her children split time between wherever she's staying at the time and their father's home. Carla didn't tell the school they had become homeless since she signed a contract with the safe house not to disclose their location, she said. She said she didn't know her children were eligible for services. As a result, they didn't receive any — and at the same time, her children suffered the emotional and academic impacts that homeless children often do. Her youngest son is autistic and had more frequent outbursts and triggers while in the shelter. Her 12-year-old son's grades dropped significantly at that time, from As to Cs, she said. But now that they are in more stable conditions, his grades have bounced back. He couldn't concentrate and was uncomfortable in their new environment, she said. She has been unable to find a job that can accommodate her youngest son's needs as well as pay enough to cover basic needs. She hasn't applied for housing assistance because spaces are 'nonexistent,' she said. The complex that would allow her children to remain in their school is waitlisted — and the waitlist is closed. Others have been luckier, finding support at school and even housing. LovRico Johnson Jr. and his 8-year-old daughter arrived at a Baltimore County shelter, located behind an abandoned school, three weeks ago. They became homeless four months ago after suffering domestic violence. She has changed schools twice and their experience with housing instability, moving between shelters and hotels, has taken its toll. Her grades dropped, she refused to do homework and occasionally acted out. Johnson said he told his daughter's last school that they were homeless, but that they did nothing more than tell him about some resources. Her new school gave her book bags, school supplies and helped them find a new home they'll go to at the end of the month, Johnson said. She is excited to start the third grade soon and is enjoying summer camp in the meantime, she said. One day, she hopes to become an astronaut and go to the moon. Solve the daily Crossword
Yomiuri Shimbun
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Maryland Aims to Help Former Fed Workers Find Jobs — and Ease Teacher Shortages
For years, Scott Neilitz conducted analyses for a nongovernmental organization to assess the impact of its efforts. It was a job he was passionate about, but he was laid off this year as the Trump administration cut the federal workforce and funding. Neilitz tried applying for other positions in the nonprofit sector, but he found himself competing with thousands of qualified workers for the same posting. Now, he's enrolled in a program at Montgomery College that is helping him earn a teacher's license, in hopes of becoming a middle school math instructor in a few months. Neilitz is one of the thousands of former federal workers whom Maryland officials are trying to help find new careers – an effort they say could also help address an ongoing teacher shortage. The state had more than 1,600 teaching vacancies as of mid-March, according to data released the next month. The federal government typically has been the state's largest employer, but data shows that over 1,000 former federal workers filed for unemployment from November to March. This year, Gov. Wes Moore (D) ordered state agencies to support former federal employees in finding new careers. The Maryland State Department of Education began working to develop a tool to help people search for teacher preparation programs. And in May, the Maryland Higher Education Commission announced $1 million in grants to 11 colleges and universities to help former federal employees receive teacher training and licenses. 'We refuse to stand idly by while the new federal administration fires public servants without cause and are doing everything in our power to put Marylanders first,' Moore said in a statement announcing the grant money. 'This funding helps our federal workers land on their feet, while also addressing the teacher shortage throughout our state.' Montgomery College was one of the grant recipients, receiving money to support its Alternative Certification for Effective Teachers program for people who have a bachelor's or higher-level degree in a non-education-related specialty but want to make a career change. The program, which has been around for two decades, partners directly with Montgomery County Public Schools to find people whose expertise align with the district's critical shortage areas, like STEM-related teaching jobs and foreign language instructors. Its participants are required to have a bachelor's degree with at least a 3.0 GPA or pass a content expertise exam. The program was updated to accommodate former federal workers looking to find a job on an accelerated timeline, said Glenda Hernandez Tittle, Montgomery College's senior program director for alternative certification programs. About 20 people will participate. Typically, the program involves six months of instruction, career coaching and student teaching. But some members of the most recent cohort – which started in June and was full of former federal employees – already have conditional contracts with the local school system. 'Our long-standing relationship with Montgomery College naturally evolved into this innovative program, which is bringing talented former federal workers into teaching,' schools spokeswoman Liliana López said in an email. 'We look forward to them sharing their diverse experiences, helping us staff critical shortage areas like computer science and world languages, and enriching our students' learning.' She said some members of the cohort will start teaching on the first day of the upcoming school year, which is Aug. 26. Enough people were interested in the Montgomery College teaching certification program that it was expanded to offer two cohorts; another group of former federal employees will start in August. The cohorts have many candidates with PhDs, Hernandez Tittle said, and include a few medical doctors, a former deputy counsel for the Environmental Protection Agency and a few cancer researchers. 'The expertise that these people bring to the classroom is amazing,' Hernandez Tittle said. Neilitz, 39, last worked for the National Democratic Institute as the regional lead for the Eurasia region, but the nonprofit cut about 1,000 positions after the Trump administration effectively cut funding for foreign aid. He said he was drawn to Montgomery College's program because it aligns with his lifelong passion for public service. He grew up in a family of educators and briefly taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan. While his previous occupation focused on 'bringing American values to the rest of the world,' he said he's now focused on bringing that passion to a different group of people: Maryland youths. So far, he said he's learned more through the program about how students develop neurologically and emotionally, as well as how to build effective lesson plans with a clear objective. And though he plans to become a middle school math teacher, he is also being trained on how to teach literacy. Neilitz is already applying for some openings in Montgomery schools. He later hopes to become certified to teach foreign languages and work with English learners – two critical shortage areas in the county. 'The plan right now is to start off with a middle school math, get a few more certifications to figure out what is really that age level in that field that I feel super comfortable with,' Neilitz said. 'In 10 years … maybe there's a way to use those monitoring and evaluation skills I used to have with MCPS or the Maryland State Department of Education.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Freeze being placed on Maryland's Child Care Scholarship program
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) announced earlier this week that, starting next month, it will be temporarily freezing a program that assists thousands of families by paying for child care expenses. There are over 45,000 children currently enrolled in the Child Care Scholarship (CCS) program. That number was closer to 21,000 in 2023. Now, an enrollment freeze is being implemented due to increased demand. Man dies in hospital after being hit by car in Montgomery County 'The success of this program means we have far exceeded the original demand and availability,' Assistant State Superintendent Sarah Neville-Morgan said. Neville-Morgan says the CCS Program has seen an 87% increase in the last two years. Due to such rapid growth, the program is on pace to nearly exceed its $270 million budget for the year, forcing the MSDE to freeze new enrollments starting May 1. 'We will not be able to award scholarships until we get some attrition and move down below that threshold,' Neville-Morgan explained. Tara Phillips is the executive director of the MSDE's Early Childhood Division. She says several factors have contributed to the surge in families enrolled in the CCS Program since January 2023. 'We began to use presumptive eligibility to determine what families were eligible,' Phillips said, 'and we implemented a fast track. We did indeed advertise the program more at that time as well.' So, what does the freeze mean for families already in the program? 'We will continue to pay the Child Care Scholarship payments on behalf of those families,' Phillips added. Neville-Morgan stated, 'We want to maximize this program. We want every single dollar that we can use to go out and to support Maryland's children and families.' As of now, there's no word on how long the enrollment freeze will last. The MSDE will continue to accept and review CCS Program applications while the freeze is in place. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland joins 18 states, sues Department of Education for threats to pull funding over DEI
Maryland's Attorney General joins 18 state attorneys general in a lawsuit over the U.S. Department of Education's threats to pull funding from public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 'With these blatantly unlawful actions, the Trump administration is playing politics with children's futures, threatening to defund schools just because they promote policies that ensure equal education for all students,' wrote Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. This year, the Maryland State Department of Education received over $286.7 million in federal funding, making up nearly 69% of the department's total funds. In March, the Trump administration revoked $400 million in pandemic relief funds to Maryland public schools, all of which had already been spent or allocated. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and argues that the administration's newly announced requirement for public schools to certify that they no longer employ DEI practices to receive federal funding violates several laws, including the Administrative Procedure Act. DOE's policy argues that the public schools receiving federal funding are required to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, and that schools engaging in DEI practices violate this requirement. This argument is rebuked in the lawsuit, which calls it an 'ambiguous and unsupported interpretation' of Title VI. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher issued a 48-page ruling in a Maryland lawsuit against DOE initiated by the American Federation of Teachers over the agency's new requirements, blocking its mandate in public schools. Have a news tip? Contact Mathew Schumer at mschumer@ 443-890-7423 and on X as @mmmschumer.
