The U.S. Census Bureau announced in September that median household income in 2019 had increased 6.8% from 2018. Median household income was $68,703. Adjusted for inflation, this reflects one of the most robust annual increases to date. The poverty rate in 2019 had decreased 1.3 percentage points to 10.5%. Since 2014, the rate has fallen…

Usually repeated legal scrapes with both regulators and law enforcement effectively disqualifies a candidate from public office.  Not so with David Trone, Maryland’s Congressional district six representative.  Twenty-eight years ago, David Trone faced 23 criminal counts, including nine counts of tampering with public records, four counts of criminal solicitation, four counts of operating a corrupt…

Picture the look of a deer caught in headlights. That captures the response of many Maryland educators and local officials to Governor Hogan’s announcement authorizing Maryland public schools for in-person instruction. The president of the association representing Maryland’s superintendents, Talbot County Superintendent Kelly Griffith, claimed that schools had “no advance warning” of the Governor’s announcement.…

Discussion about COVID-19 policy rarely seems to go very far before the word “Science” is invoked reverentially.  By implication, further discussion is no longer warranted. Yet, science is in a constant state of flux. Today’s “settled science” can be reversed tomorrow once new data becomes available.  New data tests old theories and previously “settled” conclusions…

Before COVID 19, the top agenda item of Maryland’s teachers’ union and their Democratic allies has been ramping up state spending to fund the Kirwan Commission’s K-12 education recommendations. The price tag totals a staggering $32 billion over the next decade. Their eventual spending target hits $3.8 billion more per year.  The charge exceeds $5,000…

Maryland’s teachers’ unions presented their demands earlier in July for using distance learning exclusively during at least the first half of the 2020-21 school year.[i] Within a matter of days afterward, districts, such as Montgomery County’s school system, responded and reversed their tentative reopening plans. They opted instead for an all virtual, online fall semester. This…

TEACHERS UNION DEMANDS “HOMESCHOOLING LITE” FOR MARYLAND’S NEW SCHOOL YEAR Earlier this past week, Maryland’s teacher’s unions weighed in with their demands that distance learning be used for at least the first half of the 2020-21 school year. [i]  In contrast, a survey of parents by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) found 42% expected…

TOP ELRICH OFFICIAL’S BOOK DEAL WITH CONTRACTOR VIOLATES ETHICS RULES Ex-Baltimore Budget Director Supplemented his $280,000 Montgomery County Job with a Book Deal with a County Contractor Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s $280,000 “Chief Administrative Officer” Andrew Kleine has been found guilty of ethics violations. The County’s Ethics Commission reached this conclusion after reviewing payments…