Latest news with #MarkBedell
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Anne Arundel graduates can wear achievement stoles, cords despite initially being disapproved
Anne Arundel County graduates can now wear stoles and cords, superintendent says Anne Arundel County graduates can now wear stoles and cords, superintendent says Anne Arundel County graduates can now wear stoles and cords, superintendent says Anne Arundel County high school graduates are allowed to wear special stoles, cords, and medallions for their academic and extracurricular achievements, despite initially being told it wasn't permitted. Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell said he directed principals to let seniors wear stoles and cords provided by the district, as well as honor society regalia and state championship medals. The superintendent's decision came as a relief to parents and students. "I just heard that people couldn't wear cords and stoles, which I didn't understand because I don't think it's very fair to the people who worked so hard to earn those," said Marley Shaw, a rising senior at Southern High School. Shaw, who has many academic accomplishments, was concerned that she couldn't show off her accolades during graduation. "Art Honor Society, National Honor Society, Ro Kappa, and Math Honor Society," Shaw said. "I would have just been disappointed." Syndy Kucner said she was also concerned when her daughter, a senior at South River High School, said she couldn't wear her National Honor Society stole or pin to graduation. "The whole purpose of graduation is to recognize all of the things that have contributed to their success in high school," Kucner said. Parents called for a change in the graduation policy Kucner filed an appeal, taking the issue up the district's chain of command. Superintendent Bedell said in a statement that the regulation was vague and its implementation was inconsistent. "As the leader of this school district, I will own that and work to rectify it," Bedell said. "Our graduation ceremonies should be places where students can be celebrated for the breadth of their accomplishments." Kucner said she hopes the district will take a closer look at other policies like the board's 2019 decision to stop calculating class rank for high school students. "We all need to be involved in a larger discussion about what is the appropriate place for class rank, for valedictorian, for these other kinds of recognition that our kids deserve," Kucner said.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Anne Arundel County Public Schools to drop Pre-K programs for four year old students
Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, Anne Arundel County Public Schools will no longer offer prekindergarten programs for 3-year-olds, AACPS said Thursday. The shift comes due to the adoption of a new policy by the Maryland State Board of Education and the Blueprint for Maryland's Future's Accountability and Implementation Board. "Specifically, we encourage public school systems to focus on delivering prekindergarten to Tier I four-year-olds, while private providers are encouraged to focus on serving Tier I three-year-olds and Tier II and Tier III four-year-olds," the policy states. AACPS will prioritize 4-year-old students in "Tier I." This includes children from low-income families, homeless children, some multilingual learners, and some students with special education plans. The school system wants to place students in schools closer to their homes, so they don't have to travel as far. "This change will allow us to better focus instruction and services to students who need it most and to do so at schools that are closer to the homes of those students," AACPS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell said. "We must, by law, accommodate all 4-year-old Tier I students, but some of those students have had to travel great distances in prior years, and we are hoping to minimize if not eliminate that in the next school year." Registration for next year's Pre-K programs starts on May 6, 2025. Programs for 3-year-olds will still exist, but they'll be offered by private schools, childcare centers, Head Start, and family childcare homes instead of public schools. Positions allocated to 3-year-old programs in the current school year will be converted to 4-year-old programs in the 2025-2026 school year, according to AACPS.
CBS News
25-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Maryland reports 87.6% high school graduation rate in 2024, highest since 2017
The 2024 graduation rate for Maryland high schools reached 87.6% in 2024, the highest level since 2017, according to the state Department of Education (MSDE). The 2024 graduation rate was 1.8 percentage points higher than in the 2022-23 school year. Hispanic students and multilingual learners saw the largest increase among student groups. Anne Arundel County graduation rate In Anne Arundel County, the 2024 graduation rate rose by almost one percentage point, compared to 2023, according to data from MSDE. For students with disabilities, the graduation rate rose by 6.79 percentage points, the largest increase of any student group in the county. Graduation rates for multilingual learners increased by 4.94 percentage points, and by 2.52 percentage points for African American students. Among Hispanic students, an increase of 2.41 percentage points was reported. District officials said the increases for African American and Hispanic students narrowed the gaps between the two groups. In 2024, the district's overall high school graduation rate was 88.54%, almost one percentage point above the state's average. Anne Arundel County Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell cited the district's Project Graduation and other efforts to help students as part of the reason for the increase. "This data is evidence that the work we have put into efforts like Project Graduation and our intense focus on helping every single student get what they need to Belong, Grow, and Succeed are paying off," Dr. Bedell said. The district launched Project Graduation in 2022 to provide credit recovery options for students, allowing more opportunities for second-chance learning. The initiative is available for students in grades 9 through 12 and enlists counselors, teachers and leadership teams to assess and provide support as students progress toward graduation. Frederick and Harford County graduation rates Frederick County's 2024 graduation rate increased by more than one percentage point, reaching 94.3%. The district's graduation rate was almost seven percentage points above the state's overall graduation rate. The district was ranked first among other districts with more than 300,000 students. Graduation rates in Frederick County high schools also increased among several student groups, including Hispanic students, multilingual learners and those with disabilities. The high school dropout rate also declined by more than one percentage point to 2.2% in 2024, one of the lowest in the state. Harford County high schools recorded a 2024 graduation rate of 91.6%, the highest the district has recorded since 2011, officials said. In 2023, the graduation rate was 90.8%
CBS News
20-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
$1.82 billion 2026 operating budget passed by Anne Arundel County Board of Education
The Anne Arundel County Board of Education passed its $1.82 billion FY2026 operating budget along with $204.7 million in capital projects, members said Wednesday. The budget includes a total of $8.8 million in recommendations from Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell. The requests focus on increasing employee compensation, and supporting multilingual learners, special education programs and the emotional wellness of students. The recommendations include: A 1% mid-year cost-of-living increase for employees and a 3% increase at the start of FY2026. A $10-per-day increase in compensation for substitute teachers A $1,000 incentive payment to employees with 30 or more years of experience who agree to work for more than one year Funding to provide National Board Certified school counselors with additional stipends that certified classroom teachers get Compensation for fourth-grade teachers who attend overnight field trips with students to the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center Funding for musical instrument repair and replacement Two additional social workers Four additional school counselors One additional Pupil Personnel Worker Two additional school psychologists Additional funding for the CASE Agricultural Science Program Funding to expand a pilot program for non-invasive weapons detection systems to all high schools Two additional 12-month bilingual facilitators The board also approved $10.3 million in board-sponsored amendments, which added 11 positions to Superintendent Bedell's recommendation. Officials said the 2026 budget request is $138.4 million more than the 2025 budget and asks for a total of 239 measures or positions. Board of Education capital budget requests The board approved Superintendent Bedell's recommended $204.7 million FY2026 capital budget. The budget includes nearly $120 million in capital projects for three schools in the Old Mill Master Plan, including: $13 million for projects at the Center of Applied Technology North $77.1 million for projects at Old Mill High School $29.7 million for projects at Old Mill Middle School North The district is planning to open the new Old Mill High School on the property where the current school is located. The property will also include the new Center of Applied Technology North. The new Old Mill Middle School North is under construction on the current property of the Center of Applied Technology North, according to board members. The capital budget request also includes: $33 million for building system renovations $9.2 million to build a new school bus facility $8 million to reduce a maintenance backlog $5 million for kindergarten and pre-k additions $4 million for additions to existing buildings $4 million for improvement to athletic stadiums $2 million for security upgrades The budget requests still must be approved by County Executive Steuart Pittman as part of the county's overall FY2026 budget, which he will deliver to the county council in May. The county is expected to hold public hearings before finalizing the budget by June 15. The Board of Education will adopt the final budget by June 18. Baltimore County school budget Baltimore County Superintendent Dr. Myrian Rogers unveiled her proposed $2.98 billion operating budget in mid-January. The FY2026 budget is $126.4 million more than the 2025 budget and aims to address student needs and invest in staff recruitment and retention. According to the superintendent, the budget prioritizes academic achievement, infrastructure, safety, and effective teachers and staff. It also requests a pay raise for all staff and additional special education teachers, paraeducators and adult assistants. The budget is expected to be adopted by the county's Board of Education on Feb. 25. Howard County school budget Howard County school educators and parents spoke out about Superintendent Bill Barnes' proposed $1.2 billion budget on Feb. 11, saying there were several things lacking. The proposed FY2026 budget is $74 million more than the 2025 budget and adds about 70 new positions, including 33 security assistants and 35 special education teachers. The head of the county's teachers union - the Howard County Education Association - said the proposed budget should not have been released until contract negotiations had ended. Some parents and students pushed for full-time athletic trainers as the district currently contracts less than 10 trainers, leaving many games and practices uncovered. Students argued getting full-time athletic trainers is a matter of safety.
