Maryland
Maryland school overcrowding requires bigger shakeup | READER COMMENTARY
The recent editorial on school overcrowding correctly suggests that boundary changes have to be considered to alleviate overcrowding (“In Baltimore County, a failing grade on school overcrowding,” May 22). However, I doubt that this would solve more than a small percentage of the problem.
How do we hold a school board accountable when five of the 12 members (41%) are not elected, but are appointed by the governor? I would like to suggest that we look at school districts across the nation to see how they are managed. You will find that Maryland is one of only five states that does not have funding that is independent of county or municipality control. Why does Baltimore County Public Schools have to beg for funding from the county?
Here’s my suggestion. First, all school board members should be elected. Next, give the school board the ability to ask district voters for tax revenues for school construction and operations. Taxing authority should include the assessment of “impact fees” on housing construction so that the district could provide suitable facilities and address overcrowding. Let the school board have the authority and then they can be held accountable.
I understand that implementation is not that simple. But if 45 states can do it, Maryland can do it, too.
— Larry Williams, Towson
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A University of Maryland (UMD) football player was arrested for harassment, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Dontay Joyner, a defensive back and rising senior at UMD, was charged with telephone misuse for making repeated calls, electronic communications harassment, and violating release conditions, a misdemeanor offense, according to court records.
Joyner’s attorney is calling the ordeal “outrageous,” saying “[Joyner] has been locked in a cage in Harford County for seven nights after being charged with a misdemeanor for telephone misuse for texting his longtime girlfriend during an argument. This is simply outrageous.”
Joyner’s attorney, Former Attorney General Douglas Gansler, said the 21-year-old has never been in trouble with the law and does not own a handgun. According to Gansler, Joyner’s girlfriend is “fully supportive of him and does not want to press charges.”
According to the UMD Terps website, Joyner is a Lakeland, Florida, native who previously attended Arkansas State. In the spring, Joyner was given the Nick Cross Defensive Back Award in a tradition that honors “past terrapin greats.”
According to court records, Joyner was held without bond.
WJZ has reached out to UMD officials for comment.
In Maryland, residents can find parades, concerts, history programs, fireworks, volunteer opportunities and family-friendly celebrations leading up to Independence Day.
America250, the national semiquincentennial initiative, is encouraging communities to take part through local commemorations, block parties, service projects and July 4 events. State and local commissions, historical societies, museums, libraries, parks departments and civic groups are also hosting events tied to the milestone.
Open primaries advocate Jeremy Gruber says nearly 100,000 independent voters in D.C. remain locked out of primary elections despite voters overwhelmingly approving open primaries in 2024. On The Final 5 with Jim Lokay, he blames the D.C. Council for refusing to fund the change and says similar efforts are gaining momentum in Maryland, where more than one million independents are also excluded from primaries. Gruber argues that in many one-party jurisdictions, the primary is effectively the election, making voter access even more critical.
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