Lost On The Shore

Still Ticking

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Maryland's unemployment rate rose in September to 4.6% from a rate of 4.5% in August.  More than 138,000 Marylanders are looking for work but unable to find it - an increase of about 33% since the beginning of the year.

Yet, the unemployment rate in Maryland is still well below the national unemployment rate of 6.1% and far below the rate in some of the traditional industrial states like Michigan (8.9%), Illinois (7.3%) and Ohio (7.4%) and some of the 'new industrial' states like South Carolina (7.6%) and Mississippi (7.7%).

The basic reason for our performance, of course, is that Maryland shed its manufacturing jobs many years ago and the economy today is primarily a 'knowledge economy' focused on the health and government sectors. 

In the 1950s, the steel mill and shipyard at Sparrows Point (partially picured above) employed 31,000 people.  Today, employment there is 3,500.  The largest private employer in the state is now Johns Hopkins Medical Center.  In 1950, one out of three jobs in the Baltimore area was in manufacturing.  Today, it's one out of twenty and most of those are manufacturing high-tech items such as missiles and missile launchers, defense electronics and radar systems and medical devices. 

Many more in Maryland are employed in the thriving biotech industry along the I-270 corridor and in the new biotech parks outside of Baltimore.  The sector continues to grow - yesterday the Army dedicated it's new biodefense lab at Fort Detrich in Frederick.  The Baltimore area added 70,000 new jobs between 2000 and 2007.  At the same time, the Cleveland area lost almost as many and the Detroit area lost some 250,000. 

Of course, this hasn't come painlessly.  Tens of thousands of workers who spent their entire lives working for Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows Point ended up losing their health care, their life insurance and finally their pensions as the company failed.  Retired GM workers will lose their health benefits soon. 

While the knowledge economy has bought considerable income and some resistance to economic downturns, most of its jobs are not open to those with just a high school diploma or less.  A knowledge economy requires knowledge workers and that's where our education system comes in.

With the budget problems the state faces, it's tempting to make cuts to state aid to community colleges and higher education.  The Governor and the legislature will need to resist this temptation because it's the availability of skilled and productive workers that attract high-tech companies to Maryland. 

Much has been made of the Tax Foundation's rankings showing Maryland falling from 24th to 45th in its business tax climate rankings.  But, of course taxes only are one of the factors businesses consider when they decide where to locate.  To look at another perspective, the Milken Insitute publishes an annual State Science and Technology Index which ranks states in terms of their technology and science assets and their ability to leverage those assets to achieve economic growth.  Maryland ranked second this year, behind only Massachusetts. 

So yes, taxes are higher here than I would like.  But I'd rather be where we are economically than where Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina or Mississippi are. 

Budget Cutting

The Maryland state budget is facing a shortfall and it's not just pennies, nickels and dimes, either.  According to the latest estimates, revenue in this fiscal year will be $432 million below projections and next year could see a $1 billion shortfall.  The shortfall reflects economic conditions in Maryland that are less rosy than originally projected.  

The following table shows the biggest changes in the 2009 projections.

Revenue Source	2008 Actual	Original 2009	Revised 2009	Difference
Income Tax	$6940 million	$7445 million	$7310 million	-$135 million
Sales Tax	$3675 million	$4053 million	$3783 million	-$265 million
Lottery	$497 million	$511 million	$495 million	-$16 million
Tobacco Tax	$376 million	$451 million	$433 million	-$18 million

For the most part, revised projections continue to show an increase over 2008.  the Maryland economy is still growing, albeit slowly and the changes in the tax rates during the special session are having an effect.  Nevertheless, it is clear that changes are going to have to be made.

It's also clear that there is no political room for additional taxes of any kind.  Changes to the state budget are all going to have to come on the expenditure side.  For 2009, the projected surplus of about $250 million will go a long way toward closing the revenue gap.  Delays in filling vacant positions and deferring some construction until next year could close the remainder of the gap for this year. 

Next year will be harder.  It's clear that state aid to local governments is going to be reduced below the projected figures even as local governments struggle to balance their own budgets.  The $400 million that Governor O'Malley devoted to school construction this year will be much smaller next year and the state is likely to push some of the cost of teacher pensions onto the local governments that employ the teachers.  State aid to higher education might be trimmed below projections and we could see modest tuition increases at most state universities.  State employee pay raises will be curtailed and there could be some modest rollback in efforts to help those Marylanders without health insurance. 

The real action and pain, though, is going to come at the local level.  Big counties like Montgomery and Prince Georges are already looking at shortfalls of hundreds of millions of dollars.  With Maryland's three-year property assessment cycle, local governments, which have already been suffering from reduced transfer tax receipts, are also going to see the first effects of the real estate bust on property tax receipts.  And the certainty of reduced state aid to local governments will just make matters worse.

So keep your eyes on those local governments - that's where the real action on the Maryland budget shortfall will come.

Performance in Education

Several newspapers and TV stations, including the Daily Times here on the Shore, recently carried an article discussing the increased use of 'performance pay' in Maryland schools.   According to the article, Prince George's County schools are instituting a series of 'performance bonuses' for teachers while Harford and Anne Arundel schools offer modest performance bonuses to principals.

Now, if you believe, as I do, that government has the power to improve people's lives, you must also demand that government, at all levels, perform at the highest levels of effectiveness and be transparently accountable to the taxpayers.  After all, money to run the government is not contributed voluntarily but is taken involuntarily.  If we fail to demand and expect the highest levels of performance from our government then we are playing into the hands of those to whom all taxes are anathema and government is just a wasteful boondoggle.

And in many areas, government is becoming more accountable.  In Maryland, Governor O'Malley has introduced 'statestat' and 'baystat' which, although imperfectly, try to publicly and transparently measure the performance of the various state agencies.  And in many areas of the government, pay has been tied to performance, although the measures are sometimes crude and the system is often not administered in a transparent fashion.

But not in education.  For some reason or other, we don't pay our teachers according to their performance.  The primary reason for this, of course, is the violent opposition of the teachers themselves.  They would have us believe that there is no way to effectively measure the performance of teachers and that, anyway, they're all good. 

Of course, that's absurd.  Anyone who's been a student or anyone who is a parent of a student can tell you that there are good teachers and bad teachers and, quite probably, can tell you, with a fair degree of unanimity, which are good and which are not.

Many of our school systems have salaries based on performance for other staff but not for teachers.  Somerset County schools have performance pay for secretaries, custodians, receptionists, classroom aides, cafeteria workers and administrators - but not for teachers.  Here in Worcester County, there is no thought to performance pay for teachers.  According to the spokeswoman as long as they get enough money, they'll do fine.

And that's the crux of the matter.  For most of our local jurisdictions, schools take the lion's share of the budget.  And they get what they ask for almost always - cut their budget request by even a small fraction of a percent and there will be predictions of doom.

Anyone who has read this blog knows that I am a big fan of education.  It's the key to our ability to compete in a global economy and to the relatively high income levels we enjoy in Maryland.  And that's even more reason why we should have the highest expectations of our educational establishments and our teachers and why they should be held to the highest standards of accountability and transparency.

What Kind of Jobs, What Kind of Education

Bernie Hayden, over at Maryland On My Mind, writes a nice post about jobs and education questioning whether our education system is preparing people for the jobs that are available.  There are plenty of careers where there are far more jobs than qualified people to fill them.  Two stand out here in Maryland - education and nursing.  Let's start with nursing.

The Maryland Hospital Association reported that the vacancy rate in the nursing profession was thirteen percent last year.  In a few years, Maryland's nursing shortage could reach 10,000 positions, just as those aging baby boomers begin to increase the demand for skilled nurses.  We're producing fewer trained nurses than we need and can't seem to retain the ones we have.  This is very costly because hospitals must bring in agency nurses from outside at a very high cost. 

The demand is real.  One of my daughters, I'm happy to say, recently graduated from nursing school in Maryland, passed her licensing exam and received her RN license.  But even before she graduated, she had a job offer from a large Maryland hospital with a good signing bonus.  Of course, it was a long time getting there.   

In education, Maryland colleges and universities annually produce only about half the teachers that Maryland schools require. More than half of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years.  This is very costly because of the substantial investment school districts make in recruiting and initial training. 

So what can be done?  The state recognizes the problems with the nursing shortage.  My daughter received grants to cover her tuition on the condition that she work in a Maryland hospital one year for each year's tuition reimbursement she got.  This seems like a reasonable deal for the state and for the hospitals and last year the Governor increased the amount of money the Higher Education Commission has to offer these grants. 

Of course, to get tuition reimbursement, one has to get into a nursing school to begin with and there is a problem there.  Nursing schools in Maryland are having a great deal of difficulty finding and retaining faculty.  In February, the Governor announced an additional $3.4 million allocation to the Maryland School of Nursing to hire additional faculty and expand their program.  Still, there will be far more qualified applicants than openings in Maryland's nursing schools.

In education, the problem seems to be more one of retention.  If the 50% quit rate in the first five years could be substantially reduced, it would greatly reduce the need for expensive teacher recruitment programs.  Surprisingly, according to the Maryland State Teachers' Association, the problem is not inadequate salaries, but inadequate support for new teachers during their first few years on the job.  While it will require a greater investment to support teachers in their early years, this will have a significant payoff in greater retention down the road.

Now, as the 1917 poster above shows, the nursing shortage has been an issue for some time.  And I remember the teacher shortage being an issue when I was young.  But that's no excuse for ignoring these problems.  As I've written many times before, a well-educated and trained workforce is one of the best things Maryland has going for it.  We need to make sure that continues to be the case.   

We're Number Two!

The Milken Institute recently released their 2008 State Technology and Science Index recently.  The Index ranks states in their ability to succeed in the technology-driven information age.  Maryland was ranked number two, just behind Masschusetts.  The author of the study pointed out that states that invest in their science and technology assets are creating a strong environment for building and retaining high wage jobs.  The Index gives a good idea of who is ahead in the race for scarce human capital and other resources needed for succesful high-tech industry.

I've written before about the importance of a strong educational system in creating and keeping good-paying jobs in Maryland.  A look at some of the factors used by the Milken Institute in making their rankings is informative.  In the human capital area, for example, Maryland ranked first in the percentage of adults with bachelor's degrees or better, third in the percentage of population with advanced degrees and third in the percentage of population with PhDs.  Maryland also ranked among the top three states in the number of computer scientists, database and network administrators, microbiologists, physicists and software engineers per 100,000 people.

In research funding, Maryland ranked first in per capita Federal research dollars, first in per capita academic research spending and first in per capita R&D spending on biomedical sciences, engineering, life sciences and physical sciences.

The big investment the state is making in education will help ensure that Maryland maintains its leadership in this crtical area.  The recent announcement by the governor that more than a billion dollars will be devoted to developing and supporting the state's biotech industry will also help. 

There was much concern after the tax increases that were voted through in the recent special legislative session that people and businesses would leave the state - and perhaps some will.  But the kind of enterprises that stand the best chance of succeeding in today's and tomorrow's global economy are those that are attracted by just those factors cited by the Milken Institute.  They don't locate in Maryland because of the low cost, they locate here because of the highly skilled and productive workforce we have.

If they really want low taxes there's always Mississippi...which ranks 50th out of 50 on the index.

[The painting of Archimedes was made by Domenico Fetti in 1620.  It hangs in the Alte Meister museum in Dresden]

Wealthy Maryland? - 3

Average incomes on the Shore and in Western Maryland are much lower than in the Baltimore/Washington corridor and poverty rates are, by and large, higher.  What, if anything, can or ought to be done about that?  Not surprisingly, I have some suggestions.

I've written often here about the relationship between education and income.  Maryland, as a whole, has one of the highest household incomes of any state in the union and also has one of the highest rates of educational attainments.  That's no coincidence.  Many companies choose to locate in Maryland, despite its relatively high cost, because of its highly-educated and productive workforce. 

But almost all of those companies locate in the wealthier sections of Maryland - not on the Shore and not in Western Maryland.  There are a couple of reasons for this - the workforce they need is there and major government installations - NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, Fort Meade and NSA and Aberdeen Proving Grounds are all in the area.  For years, these areas forged ahead because their excellent school systems produced the kinds of workers that high tech industry needed and because of the presence of these important magnets.  The presence of major universities at College Park and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore helped too.

With the approval of the Thornton program, the state began to provide substantially increased funding to schools in the poorer parts of the state and there has been considerable progress in those areas.  Recently, for example, Ocean City Elementary School, here in Worcester County, became the first school in the state in which every student passed the state achievement tests - certainly something to be proud of.

But education by itself isn't enough.  Plenty of bright and well-educated students graduate from school on the Shore, go away to college and never come back - primarily because the kind of jobs they're looking for don't exist here.  So the kind of industry that provides good, high-paying jobs won't locate on the Shore because the workforce they need isn't here.

A couple of days ago the Governor unveiled a proposal for the state to spend as much as $1.1 billion over the next ten years to attract and support biotech firms in Maryland.  That's a good thing, I guess.  The state is uniquely positions to become a 'biotech hub' with the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, Johns Hopkins University and the army's biological warfare center at Fort Detrick all within about forty miles of each other.  But how much of that money will support new or existing industry on the Shore or in Western Maryland - areas where income is lowest and the needs greatest?  None.

So what can be done?  I think there are a number of things.  First, the state should provide a bit more support for infrastructure development.  The Rural Broadband Initiative is currently building a fiberoptic line linking Wallops Island, Salisbury and the Western Shore.  This will bring true high speed internet to many parts of the Shore that don't have it now.  There's also investment needed in other areas.

Second, the state should invest some money to capitalize on the presence of the two universities on the Shore.  The Shore is an ideal place to expand their environment and marine biology programs to eventually  serve as magnets for companies in those areas. 

Third, the governor should establish a small office to focus on the Shore and on Western Maryland.  The announcement about the biotech initiative is a good example of how these regions get left out of things - not out of malice but simply because they are overlooked by those whose focus is solely on the Baltimore/Washington corridor.  By having an advocate for these regions in the executive branch, there's a better chance we won't be overlooked.

And fourth, the influx of retirees to the Shore should not be overlooked. Rural life has its charms and here on the Shore, where there are plenty of quiet bays, rivers and creeks, life can be quite pleasant.  The retirees bring money and a heighted demand for medical services which provides some good-paying jobs. 

So let's all recognize and applaud the high incomes that many Marylanders enjoy, but let's not forget those who don't share in the wealth.

[ Boating  was painted by Edoard Manet in 1874.  The original hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City]

 

Wealthy Maryland - 2

In the last post we talked about the wide discrepancies in wage rates in Maryland.  The majority of Marylanders, who live in the densely-populated areas around Baltimore and Washington, earn wages that are considerably higher than average while those who live in the less-populated areas of Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore receive much lower than average wages.  Unemployment rates are also higher on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland than they are in the Baltimore/Washington corridor.  My home county, Worcester, has the distinction of having the highest unemployment rate and the lowest average wage in the state.

But wages aren't the only measure of wealth or income.  Per capita income can sometimes provide a better measure.  A look at those numbers reveals a picture different in many ways.  In 2006, the average per capita income for Marylanders was $43,788 - significantly above the national average of $36,714 and and increase of $8,131  since 2001.  Again, though, there are significant regional differences.  The average for Montgomery County (the highest) was $63,753 while the average for Somerset County was just about a third of that at $22,656.

Here in Worcester County, instead of being in last place, we're in 14th place among all jurisdictions in per capita income.  The difference, of course, is attributable to a relatively high number of retired residents who receive income from social security, pensions and investments.  The situation is the same in Talbot County which ranks 16th in terms of average wages, but 3rd in terms of per capita income. 

In general, though the per capita income figures roughly mirror the wage figures.  The highest per capita incomes are in the Baltimore/Washington corridor and the lowest are in Western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore.

The same difference is reflected in poverty rates.  The Census Bureau estimates the poverty rate in Maryland at 8.3%.  While the highest poverty rate in Maryland is found in Baltimore City where about 22% of the population are estimated to live in poverty, the next highest rates are all in Western Maryland or on the Eastern Shore. 

• Somerset County - 20%
• Allegany County - 15%
• Dorchester County - 14%
• Wicomico County - 14%
• Garrett County - 14%
• Kent County - 12%
• Caroline County - 11%

Clearly there are huge regional differences in the economic well-being of Marylanders.  And while the cost of living on the Shore and in Western Maryland are lower in some ways, they are more heavily impacted by the recent increases in food and energy costs as those account for a much higher proportion of their income.  The New York Times recently published an interesting article showing how rural areas were more heavily impacted by rising gas prices than urban areas.

And recent studies by the Economic Policy Institute show that Marylanders, like the rest of the country, are growing further apart in incomes.  In the 1980s the richest 20% of Maryland families had an income that was 5.4 times the income of the lowest 20%.  Now, however, the income of the richest 20% has grown to 7.3 times the income of the lowest 20%.

And it's not just the poor who have fallen behind.  In the 1980s, the average income of the richest 20% was 1.9 times the average income of the middle 20%.  Now, however, the richest 20% have incomes that are 2.5 times the average income of the middle 20%. 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, political power in Maryland rests with the heavily populated jurisdictions of the Baltimore/Washington corridor.  Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore have little voice in what goes on.  Understandably, politicians elected by the citizens of the Baltimore/Washington area focus on the problems and issues of their constituencies - transportation, crime, congestion rather than rural poverty and low incomes.

The problem is complex - some don't believe there's any problem at all.  But it's certainly true that, despite our apparent wealth, there are a large number of families in Maryland that are just getting by or, in many cases these days, not getting by at all.  They work hard and do the best they can but are slipping further and further away from the American dream.  For a variety of reasons the economic deck is stacked against them.  I'll take a look at that in the next post.    

 

       

This and That

No, the Manet painting has nothing to do with today's post, I just like it.  I just wanted to catch up on a couple of items.

CRABS

I think what the two Governors agreed upon was a sensible approach to trying to preserve the crab fishery in the medium term.  To do so in the long term will require some real progress on reducing the pollution levels in the Bay.  This won't be easy, particularly in the context of the growth expected in the region.  Stay tuned for more on this.

Growth

I see they have broken ground on new construction at Fort Meade for the new headquarters of the Defense Information Systems Agency.  More than 4,000 workers will fill this building when it is finished, most coming from Virginia.  The state needs to move quickly to ensure that the local infrastructure is ready for this and thousands of others that will move here as a result of the Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC) program.  In that regard, it's worth noting that the Maryland Department of the Environment STILL has not completed implementing regulations for the Stormwater Management Act of 2007 and they don't expect to finish until December of this year - more than 18 months after the Act was passed.  We've got to do better.

Transportation

Many want to see Maryland take the lead in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.  A significant portion of those come from transportation, yet we seem to be making little progress on putting into place mass transit options and highway improvements that will allow us to reduce the time we spend in commuting as well as the gas we use and the carbon dioxide our cars emit.  Somehow, we have to make better progress on this.  We all want to see a clear return on our tax dollars.  This would be pretty clear.

Energy

With the passage of the bill to reduce our per capita electricity consumption by fifteen percent by 2015, we need to get moving.  Let's hope the Maryland Energy Administration and the PSC don't drag their feet the way MDE has done with the stormwater rules.  I know it's complicated, but it's also important to get it done. It's less than 7 years to 2015, we can't fritter away 18 months on figuring out how we're going to do it.

More later!

Talking about this and that...

There are a lot of things going on here in the Free State, so let's get right to it!

Presidential Politics

A new poll of Maryland voters released by the Baltimore Sun shows Obama leading Clinton by 39% to 26% with Edwards trailing far behind at 12%.  On the Republican side, McCain holds the lead with 26% followed by Huckabee at 18%, Giuliani at 16% and Romney at 12%.  Fred Thomson trailed at 33%.

The poll also indicated the softness of support for the candidates.  a full 40% of those who indicated a preference for either Obama or Clinton indicated they could change their minds while, on the Republican side, the softness was even greater with almost 70% of McCain and Huckabee supporters indicating they could change their minds.  For Giuliani and Romney the figures were 58% and 55%.

I confess I'm a little surprised at the numbers.  On the Democratic side, Maryland has for years been an old-line traditional Democratic state so I would have expected more support for Clinton and maybe Edwards.  On the other hand, Maryland does have a high percentage of African-American voters and that may sway the totals.

On the Republican side, I'm surprised to see McCain leading the pack.  With the vocal support people like Andy Harris are receiving, I would have thought that a moderate like McCain would be anathema to Maryland Republicans.  On the other hand, it might be indicative of the struggle among Maryland Republicans to decide who is a 'true Republican' and a 'true conservative.

O'Malley's March

Our Governor's popularity is marching downhill.  The same Baltimore Sun poll revealed the extent to which the results of the special session have affected the popularity of our Governor.  The poll showed that 45% of voters disapprove of the way O'Malley is handling his job vs. 35% that approve.  The fiscal package that the General Assembly approved is even less popular with 51% saying it's unfair to Marylanders vs. 33% who say it's fair. 

When asked what was the most pressing issue facing the Governor and the General Assembly, 28% pointed to high taxes with 15% pointing to education, 9% to crime and 8% to jobs.  Immigration, which seems to be such a hot election issue, was near the bottom with 2%.

Clearly the Governor is going to have to work hard over the next couple of years to show the benefits Marylanders are getting for the taxes they are paying.  Fortunately, the evidence is rolling in.

Education

A huge chunk - more than $1.2 billion - of the increase in Maryland government spending over the past few years has gone to education.  A recent report by the independent and widely-respected Editorial Projects in Education rated Maryland schools third-best in the nation.  The report, Quality Counts, is widely cosidered to be one of the most thorough evalutions of school performance; it uses more than 150 data elements in its evaluation. 

Education is particularly important in Maryland.  Despite the high cost of doing business here, corporations locate in Maryland due to the high level of educational attainment and high productivity of its workers.  This is why Maryland leads the nation in per-capita income.  If we want more high-paying jobs with companies like Medimmune, Ciena, Lockheed-Martin, Qbit, Regenerix and Human Genome Sciences, then we need to keep investing in education.  If we'd prefer to have our children working for Wal-mart, McDonalds or in a local chicken plant, then we can cut education spending and taxes right now.

Poverty

Another recent bright spot is the report by the US Census Bureau that Maryland had the lowest percentage of children under the age of 5 living in poverty of any state.  Maryland also has the second-lowest overall poverty rate.  This, of course, is partly attributable to the relatively low unemployment rate here as well as state programs.  Particularly important, I suspect is the emphasis on providing continuing support to those moving off of welfare and into employment.  It's not always an easy transition and continuing support can make a big difference.

I'll have some more tomorrow.

[Note: the illustration is of a poster for The Wolf published in 1908 by the Cincinnati Litho. Co.]

Good For Us!

One of the reasons the recent tax increases in Maryland were needed was the huge increase in educational spending by the state over the past several years.  Now, as I have pointed out before, I am no particular fan of the educational establishment.  Their constant insistence on more and more money while resisting accountability or performance measurement has weakened their case in my view.

But the case for education in general is a strong one.  As I've pointed out before, Maryland's number one rank in median household income is closely related to the relatively high educational attainment of Maryland residents.  In an increasingly globalized economy, the only way to maintain our high living standard will be to have a highly educated and productive workforce.

With that in mind, I'd like to take a moment to recognize the relatively high ranking of a number of Maryland schools in the recent US News ranking of the nation's high schools.  Of course, I understand that all such rankings need to be taken with a grain of salt, it's difficult to boil down the many factors that go into high school achievement into a single ranking, but the recognition is valuable, nonetheless.

Their ranking looked at 18,790 high schools in 40 states that provided data.  The ranking looked at reading and math test scores for all students on each state's high school test and then factored in the percentage of economically disadvantage students in each school to identify those that were performing better than would be expected.  The then looked at the least-advantaged students in each school and selected those schools where the least-advantaged students were performing better than average.  Finally, they looked at AP participation rates along with how well students did on AP tests.  Only schools with a sufficient number of AP students were ranked by this criteria.

Three schools in Maryland, all in Montgomery County, ranked in the top 100 using these criteria and received gold medals.  An additional ten schools, in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Howard County and Washington County received silver medals - ranking in the top 3% of all high schools in the country. 

Finally, thirteen Maryland high schools received bronze medals.  Many of these were smaller schools in rural areas and didn't have enough AP students to be ranked in AP attainment and were thus ineligible to be judged in the top two categories.  These schoos were in Baltimore City, Garrett County, Somerset County, Washington County and Worcester County.  Only 1,086 of the 18,790 schools that were studied received bronze medals

One of the goals of the increased state education funding was to provide additional funding to lower-income counties where school spending had lagged due to lack of resources and thus give students in these schools more opportunity to succeed.  I think this report shows that the program is working.

Special congratulations to the Board of Education, the educators and the students of Somerset County here on The Eastern Shore.  Despite the lowest per capita income in the state, both of the Somerset County high schools received bronze medals.  Also congratulations to Washington County which did very well.  Here in Worcester County, I was pleased to see Snow HIll High School made the list.